THE  LIBRARY 
OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

PROFESSOR  JOHN  ELOF  BOODIN 

MEMORIAL  PHILOSOPHY 

COLLECTION 


JOYZELLE 


By  the  Same  Author: 

THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  HUMBLE.  Trans- 
lated by  ALFRED  SUTRO.  ismo.  $1.75. 

WISDOM  AND  DESTINY.  Translated  by 
ALFRED  SUTRO.  I2mo.  $1.75. 

THE  LIFE  OF  THE  BEE.  Translated  by 
ALFRED  SUTRO.  tamo.  $i.4O«*/. 

SISTER  BEATRICE  AND  ARDIANE  AND 
BARBE  BLEUE.  Translated  by  BERNARD 

MlALL.        121110.       $1.20  >U'/. 

THE  BURIED  TEMPLE.  Translated  by  ALFRED 
SUTRO.  I2mo.  $i.4O«^/. 

THOUGHTS  FROM  MAETERLINCK.  Arranged 
by  E.  S.  S.  lamo.  $1.20  net. 

THE  DOUBLE  GARDEN.  Translated  by 
ALEXANDER  TEIXEIRA  DE  MATTOS.  iamo. 
$1.40  net. 

JOYZELLE  AND  MONNA  VANNA.  Trans- 
lated by  ALEXANDER  TEIXEIRA  DE  MATTOS  and 
ALFRED  SUTRO.  i2mo.  $1.40  net. 

THE  MEASURE  OF  THE  HOURS.  Translated 
by  ALEXANDER  TEIXEIRA  DE  MATTOS.  I2tno. 
$1.40  net. 


Joyzelle 

Translated  by 
A.  TEIXEIRA  DE  MATTOS 

Monna  Vanna 


Translated  by 
ALFRED   SUTRO 


BY 

MAURICE  MAETERLINCK 


NEW  YORK 

DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 
1910 


COPYRIGHT,  1903,  BT 
EUGENE  FASQUELLE 

COPYRIGHT,  1907,  BY 

DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 

Published,  February,  1907 


College 
Library 


CHARACTERS 

MERLIN 

LANCEOR,  Merlin's  son 
JOYZELLE 

ARIELLE,    Merlin's   genius,    invisible    to    the 
others 


SCENE:  Merlin's  Island, 


ACT    I 

A  Gallery  in  MERLIN'S  Palace 

(MERLIN  is  seated  near  ARIELLE,  who  is  sleep- 
ing on  the  steps  of  a  marble  staircase. 
It  is  night.) 

MERLIN 

YOU  sleep,  my  Arielle,  you,  my  inner 
force,  the  neglected  power  which  slum- 
bers in  every  soul  and  which  I  alone, 
till  now,  awaken  at  will  .  .  .  You  sleep, 
my  docile  and  familiar  little  fairy,  and 
your  hair,  straying  like  a  blue  mist,  invisible 
to  men,  mingles  with  the  moon,  the  perfumes 
of  the  night,  the  rays  of  the  stars,  the  roses 
that  shed  their  petals,  the  spreading  sky, 
to  remind  us  thus  that  nothing  separates  us 
from  any  existing  thing  and  that  our  thought 
does  not  know  where  the  light  begins  for 
which  it  hopes,  nor  where  the  shadow  ends 
which  it  escapes  .  .  .  You  are  sleeping 
soundly  and,  while  you  sleep,  I  lose  all  my 
knowledge  and  become  like  my  blind  brethren 


Joyzelle 

who  do  not  yet  know  that  on  this  earth  there 
are  as  many  hidden  gods  as  there  are  hearts 
that  throb  .  .  .  Alas,  I  am  to  them  the 
genius  to  be  avoided,  the  wicked  sorcerer  in 
league  with  their  enemies !  .  .  .  They  have 
no  enemies,  but  only  subjects  who  know  not 
where  to  find  their  king  .  .  .  They  are  per- 
suaded that  my  secret  virtue,  which  is  obeyed 
by  the  plants  and  the  stars,  by  water,  stone 
and  fire  and  to  which  the  future  at  times  re- 
veals some  of  its  features :  they  are  persuaded 
that  this  new  and  yet  so  human  virtue  is  hid- 
den in  philtres,  in  horrible  charms,  in  hellish 
herbs  and  awful  signs  .  .  .  No,  it  is  in  my- 
self, even  as  it  resides  in  them ;  it  is  in  you, 
my  frail  Ariellc,  in  you  who  were  once  in  me 
...  I  have  taken  two  or  three  bolder  steps 
in  the  dark  ...  I  have  done  a  little  earlier 
what  they  will  do  later  .  .  .  All  things  will 
be  subject  to  them  when  they  have  learnt  at 
last  to  revive  your  goodwill  even  as  I  have  re- 
vived it  ...  But  it  were  vain  for  me  to  tell 
them  that  you  are  sleeping  here  and  to  point 
to  your  dazzling  grace:  they  would  not  see 
you  .  .  .  Each  one  of  them  must  find  you 
within  himself;  each  one  of  them  must  open 
2 


Joyzelle 

as  I  do  the  tomb  of  his  life  and  come  to  awake 
you  as  I  awake  you  now  .  .  .  [He  bends  over 
AEIELLE  and  kisses  her.] 

ARIELLE 

[Waking.]   Master!  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

This  is  the  hour,  Arielle,  when  love  must 
watch  ...  I  shall  often  trouble  your  sleep 
in  these  coming  days.  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

My  sleep  was  so  long  that  I  am  always  re- 
lapsing into  it;  but  I  feel  stronger  and  be- 
come happier  at  each  new  awakening  that 
your  thought  imposes  on  me  ... 

MERLIN 

Whither  are  you  taking  my  son  and  when 
shall  I  see  him  again?  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

I  was  following  him  with  my  eyes  in  my 
attentive  dream  .  .  .  He  is  approaching 
us  ...  He  thinks  that  he  is  lost;  and  his 

3 


destiny  leads    him  where    happiness    awaits 
him    .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Will  he  know  me?  ....  It  is  many 
years  since  the  prescribed  proof  exacted  that 
we  should  live  as  strangers  to  each  other; 
and  I  am  eager  to  be  able  to  embrace  him  as 
I  did  long  ago,  when  he  was  a  child  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

No,  fate  must  be  allowed  to  decide  freely; 
nor  may  the  proof  be  falsified  by  the  love  of 
a  father  of  whose  existence  he  must  not 
know  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

But  now  that  Joyzelle  is  here,  close  to  us ; 
now  that  he  is  coming  towards  her,  does  the 
future  become  more  clear,  can  you  read  fur- 
ther into  it?  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

[Gazing  upon  the  sea  and  the  night, 
in  a  sort  of  trance.]  I  read  in  it  what  I  read 
from  the  first  moment  .  .  .  Your  son's  fate 
is  wholly  inscribed  within  a  circle  of  love.  If 

4 


Joyzelle 

he  love,  if  he  be  loved  with  a  wondrous  love, 
which  should  be  that  of  all  men,  but  which  is 
becoming  so  rare  that  at  present  it  seems 
to  them  a  dazzling  folly;  if  he  love,  if 
he  be  loved  with  an  ingenuous  and  yet  clear- 
seeing  love,  with  a  love  simple  and  pure  and 
all-powerful  as  the  mountain  stream,  with  an 
heroic  love,  yet  one  that  shall  be  gentler  than 
a  flower,  with  a  love  which  takes  all  and  gives 
back  more  than  it  takes,  which  never  hesitates, 
which  is  not  deceived ;  a  love  which  nothing 
disconcerts  and  nothing  repels,  a  love  which 
hears  and  sees  naught  save  a  mysterious  hap- 
piness, invisible  to  all  besides,  which  perceives 
it  everywhere,  in  every  form  and  every  trial, 
and  which,  with  a  smile,  will  even  commit 
crime  to  claim  it  ...  If  he  obtain  that 
love,  which  exists  somewhere  and  is  waiting 
for  him,  in  a  heart  that  I  seem  to  have  re- 
cognised, his  life  will  be  longer,  fairer,  and 
happier  than  that  of  other  men.  But,  if  he 
do  not  find  it  before  the  month  is  past,  for 
the  circle  is  closing ;  if  Joyzelle's  love  be  not 
that  which  the  future  holds  out  to  him  from 
the  high  skies;  if  the  flame  do  not  burn  its 
full  span,  if  a  regret  veil  or  a  doubt  obscure 

5 


Joyzclle 

it,    then    death    triumphs    and   your    son    is 
lost    .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Ay,  for  all  men  the  hour  of  love  is  an  im- 
portant hour !  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

For  Lanceor,  alas,  it  is  the  inexorable  hour ! 
.  .  .  Within  these  next  few  days,  he  will 
reach  the  summit  of  his  life.  With  groping 
hands,  he  touches  happiness  and  the  tomb 
.  .  .  He  is  dependent  entirely  on  the  last 
steps  which  he  is  taking  and  on  the  act  of  the 
virgin  who  is  coming  to  meet  him.  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

And  if  Joyzelle  be  not  she  whom  fate 
selects?  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

Indeed,  I  fear  that  the  proof  which  we  are 
about  to  attempt  is  the  only  one  which  it 
offers ;  but  man  must  never  lose  courage  in 
face  of  the  future  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Why  attempt  the  proof  if  it  be  uncer- 
tain? .  .  . 

6 


Joyzelle 

ARIELLE 

If  we  do  not  offer  it,  fate  will  offer  it;  it 
is  inevitable,  but  it  is  left  to  chance ;  and 
that  is  why  I  try  to  direct  its  course  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

And  if  he  love  Joyzelle  and  she  do 
not  love  him  with  the  love  which  fate 
demands?  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

Then  we  shall  have  to  intervene  more 
openly. 

MERLIN 
How? 

ARIELLE 

I  will  try  to  learn. 

MERLIN 

Arielle,  I  conjure  you,  as  this  concerns  the 
dearest  being,  much  dearer  than  myself; 
as  I  have  only  one  son  and  he  can  become 
what  we  well  know  that  I  could  never  be:  is 
it  not  possible  to  make  an  unexampled,  an 
almost  desperate  effort  with  regard  to  the 
future ;  to  violate  time ;  to  snatch  from  the 
years,  even  were  they  to  revenge  themselves 

7 


Joyzelle 

upon  us  two,  the  secret  which  they  conceal  so 
strictly  and  which  contains  much  more  than 
our  own  life  and  our  own  happiness?  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

No,  strive  as  I  may,  I  can  reach  no  fur- 
ther .  .  .  The  future  is  a  world  limited  by 
ourselves,  in  which  we  discover  only  that 
which  concerns  us  and  sometimes,  by  chance, 
that  which  interests  those  whom  we  love  the 
most  ...  I  see  very  clearly  all  that  un- 
folds itself  round  Lanceor,  until  his  road 
meets  Joyzelle's  road.  But  around  Joyzelle 
the  years  are  veiled.  It  is  an  effulgent  veil, 
a  veil  of  light,  but  it  hides  the  days  as  pro- 
foundly as  a  veil  of  darkness  ...  It  inter- 
rupts life.  Then,  beyond  the  veil,  I  again 
find  happiness  and  death  awaiting  him,  like 
two  equal,  indifferent,  inscrutable  hosts ;  and 
I  cannot  tell  which  is  the  nearer,  the  more  im- 
perious .  .  .  It  is  not  possible  for  me  to 
know  if  Joyzelle  is  the  predestined  one  .  .  . 
Everything  promises  that  it  is  she,  but  no- 
thing confirms  it  ...  Her  face  is  stretched 
towards  the  coming  years  .  .  .  and,  call  to 
her  as  I  may,  with  all  my  might,  she  does  not 
8 


Joyzelle 

answer,  docs  not  turn  her  head.  Nothing  can 
distract  her;  and  I  have  never  seen  her  fea- 
tures, which  I  can  only  imagine  .  .  .  One 
sign  alone  is  certain:  it  is  that  of  the  very 
sharp  and  cruel  proofs  which  she  will  have  to 
overcome  .  .  .  By  these  proofs  alone  we 
shall  know  her.  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

And  therefore,  starting  from  this  point 
which  I  can  surmount,  we  must  submit  to  un- 
known powers,  question  facts  like  other  men, 
await  their  reply  and  try  to  conquer  them  if 
they  threaten  harm  to  those  whom  we 
love  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

But  here  they  come,  in  the  breaking 
dawn  .  .  .  Let  us  hasten  away ;  they  are 
coming  near  .  .  .  Let  us  leave  to  their 
destiny,  which  is  beginning  its  work,  the  soli- 
tude and  the  silence  which  it  demands. 

[Exeunt  MERLIN  and  ARIELLE.  A 
few  moments  after,  while  the  day- 
light swiftly  increases,  JOYZELLE 
and  LANCEOR  enter  from  opposite 
sides  and  meetj\ 

9 


Joyzellc 

JOYZELLE 

[Stoppvng,  astonished,  before  LANCEOR]  : 
What  are  you  seeking? 

LANCEOR 

I  do  not  know  where  I  am  ...  I  was 
seeking  a  shelter  .  .  .  Who  are  you? 

JOYZELLE 
My  name  is  Joyzelle. 

LANCEOR 

Joyzelle  ...  I  am  saying  the  name  .  .  . 
It  is  as  caressing  as  a  wing,  the  breath  of  a 
flower,  a  whisper  of  gladness,  a  ray  of  light 
...  It  describes  you  completely,  it  sings  in 
the  heart,  it  lights  the  lips  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

'And  you,  who  are  you? 

LANCEOB 

I  no  longer  myself  know  who  I  am    .  .  . 

A  few  days  ago,  my  name  was  Lanceor;  I 

knew  where  I  was  and  I  knew  myself    .  .  . 

To-day,  I  seek  myself,  I  grope  within  myself 

10 


Joyzelle 

and  all  around  me,  and  I  wander  in  the  mist, 
amid  mirages    .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

What    mist?     What    mirages?  .  .  .  How* 
long  have  you  been  on  this  island?  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 
Since  yesterday    .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Strange,  they  did  not  tell  me    .  .  . 

LANCEOB 

No  one  saw  me    ...  I  was  wandering  on 
the  shore,  I  was  in  despair    .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 
Oh!  Why?  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

I  was  very  far  from  here,  I  was  very  far 
from  him,  when  a  letter  told  me  that  my  old 
father  was  dying  ...  I  took  ship  at  once. 
We  were  long  at  sea ;  then,  in  the  first  port  at 
which  the  ship  put  in,  I  learnt  that  it  was  too 
II 


Joyzelle 

late,  that  my  father  was  no  more.  ...  I 
continued  my  voyage,  at  least  to  be  on  the 
scene  of  his  last  thoughts  and  carry  out  his 
last  wishes.  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Why  are  you  here? 

LANCEOR 

Why?  I  do  not  know,  nor  do  I  know 
how.  .  .  .  The  sea  was  very  still  and  the  sky 
was  clear.  .  .  .  We  saw  only  the  water 
slumbering  in  the  azure.  .  .  .  Suddenly, 
without  warning,  the  waves  were  invaded  by 
thick  blue  mists.  .  .  .  They  rose  like  a  veil, 
which  clung  to  our  hands,  to  the  rigging,  to 
our  faces.  .  .  .  Then  the  wind  blew,  our 
anchor  broke  loose  and  the  blind  ship,  driven 
by  a  current  that  made  her  timbers  creak, 
arrived  towards  evening  in  the  unknown  har- 
bour of  this  unexpected  island.  .  .  .  Sad  and 
disheartened,  I  landed  on  the  beach;  I  fell 
asleep  in  a  cave  overlooking  the  sea ;  and, 
when  I  awoke,  the  fog  had  lifted  and  I  saw 
the  ship  disappear  like  a  radiant  wing  on  the 
horizon  of  the  waves. 

12 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 

What  had  happened? 

LANCEOE 

I  do  not  know.  ...  I  would  have  tried  to 
follow  her,  but  I  could  find  no  boat  in  the 
harbour.  ...  I  must  wait,  therefore,  until 
another  vessel  passes.  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

That  is  curious.  ...  It  is  like  myself.  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Like  you?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Yes,  I  too  came  to  the  island  through  a 
thick  fog.  .  .  .  But  I  was  shipwrecked.  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

When  was  that?  And  how?  .  .  .  Where 
do  you  come  from,  Joyzelle?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

I  was  coming  from  another  island.  .  .  . 
13 


Joyzelle 


LANCEOR 

Where  were  you  going? 

JOYZELLE 

Where  some  one  was  awaiting  me.  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Who? 

JOYZELLE 

One  whom  they  had  thought  right  to  choose 
for  me.  .  .   . 

LANCEOR 

Were  you  betrothed?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Yes. 

LANCEOR 

Do  you  love  him?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

No. 

LANCEOR 

But  then?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

My  mother  wished  it.  ... 


Joyzelle 


LANCEOR 

Do  you  intend  to  obey  her? 

JOYZELLE 

No. 

LANCEOR 

Ah,  that  is  well!  ...  I  like  that!  .  .  . 
And  my  father,  at  the  moment  of  his  death, 
wished  that  I  also  should  choose  her  whom  he 
had  chosen  for  me.  .  .  .  He  bad  his  reasons, 
very  deep  and  serious  reasons,  it  appears. 
.  .  .  And,  as  he  wished  it  and  as  he  is  no 
longer  alive,  I  must  obey  him.  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Why? 

LANCEOR 

We  cannot  evade  the  wishes  of  the  dead. 

JOYZELLE 

Why? 

LANCEOR 

They  can  no  longer  be  altered.  .  .  .  We 
must  have  pity,  we  must  respect  them.  .  .  . 

15 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 


No    ... 


LANCEOR 

You  would  not  obey?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

No. 

LANCEOR 

Joyzelle !  .  .  .  This  is  horrible !  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

No,  the  dead  are  horrible,  if  they  want  us 
to  love  those  whom  we  do  not  love  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Joyzelle!  ...  I  am  afraid  of  you    .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

I  said  .  .  .  What  did  I  say?  .  .  .  Per- 
haps I  was  too  quick  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Joyzelle,  your  eyes  are  moist  at  the 
thought  of  the  dead  and  belie  your 
words  .  .  . 

16 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 

No,  it  is  not  for  them  .  .  .  Perhaps  I 
was  harsh  .  .  .  And  yet,  they  are  wrong. 

LANCEOR 

Let  us  speak  no  more  of  the  dead  .  .  . 
You  have  not  told  me  how  your  ship- 
wreck .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

We  lost  our  way  in  a  thick  fog  .  .  .  A 
fog  so  thick  that  it  filled  our  hands,  like 
white  feathers  .  .  .  The  pilot  mistook  the 
course  .  .  .  He  thought  he  saw  a  bea- 
con .  .  .  The  ship  struck  upon  a  hidden 
reef  .  .  .  But  no  one  perished  .  .  .  The 
waves  bore  me  away ;  and  then  I  saw  the 
blue  water  glide  before  my  eyes  as  though  I 
were  sinking  in  a  stifling  sky  ...  I  went 
down  and  down  .  .  .  Then  some  one  caught 
hold  of  me  and  I  lost  consciousness  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Who  caught  hold  of  you?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

The  lord  of  this  island. 


Joyzelle 


LAN CEDE 

And  who  Is  this  lord?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

He  is  an  old  man  who  wanders  like  a  rest- 
less shade  about  this  marble  palace    .   .  . 

LANCEOR 
If  I  had  been  there!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 
What  would  you  have  done?  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

I  should  have  saved  you!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Was  I  not  saved?  .  .  . 

LANCEOR, 

It  is  not  the  same  thing!  .  .  .  You  would 
not  have  suffered,  nothing  would  have  come 
to  you  ...  I  should  have  carried  you  on 
the  crest  of  the  waves  .  .  .  Ah,  I  do  not 
know  how  .  .  .  Like  a  cup  full  of  precious 
pearls,  of  which  not  one  must  be  touched  by 
18 


Joyzelle 

a  shadow;  like  a  flower  of  the  dawn,  from 
which  we  fear  to  shake  a  single  dew-drop 
.  .  .  When  I  think  of  the  dangers  which  you, 
so  fair,  so  fragile,  ran  among  the  cruel  rocks, 
in  that  old  man's  arms !  .  .  .  What  he  did 
was  fine;  he  did  the  impossible  .  .  .  But  it 
was  not  enough  .  .  .  How  did  you  reach  the 
shore  at  last?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

I  awoke  lying  on  the  sands  .  .  .  The  old 
man  was  there.  Then  he  had  me  carried 
to  this  palace  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 
Is  he  king  of  this  island?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

The  island  is  almost  desert,  one  sees  none 
but  a  few  servants  who  move  about  in  si- 
lence .  .  .  He  can  have  for  his  subjects  only 
the  trees,  the  flowers  and  the  happy  birds  with 
which  the  island  seems  filled  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 
What  he  did  was  well  done    .  .  . 

19 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 

He  is  good  and  kind;  and  he  received  me 
as  my  father  himself  could  not  have  re- 
ceived me  ...  Yet  I  do  not  like  him  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 
Why? 

JOYZELLE 

I  believe  he  loves  me    ... 

LANCEOR 

What !  .  .  .  He  dares !  .  .  .  No,  it  is  not 
possible,  or  else  the  years  no  longer  have  the 
weight  they  should  have  and  reason  escapes 
us  when  death  draws  near 


JOYZELLE 

And  yet  I  fear  it  ...  He  gave  me  to  un- 
derstand .  .  .  He  is  strange  and  sad  .  .  . 
They  say  he  has  a  son  who  is  very  far  from 
here,  who  is  lost,  perhaps  .  .  .  He  is  always 
thinking  of  him  .  .  .  When  he  thinks  that 
he  will  see  him  again,  his  face  lights  up,  he 
.  .  .  Here  he  is!  ... 

[Enter  MERLIN.] 
20 


Joyzelle 

MERLIN 

I  was  looking  for  you,  Joyzelle  .  .  . 
\Turning  to  Lanceor,  with  a  threatening 
glance.]  As  for  you,  I  know  who  you  are 
and  I  know  the  reasons  that  have  brought 
you  to  this  island,  the  trick  of  this  pretended 
shipwreck  and  the  name  of  the  enemy  who 
sent  you  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Me?  .  „  .  But  it  was  a  mere  accident  that 
flung  me  on  this  coast  .  .  . 

MERLIN 
Let  us  waste  no  phrases. 

JOYZELLE 

What  has  he  done? 

MERLIN 

He  intended,  alas,  to  do  the  basest  thing 
that  man  can  do :  to  betray  kindness,  deceive 
friendship  and  sell  to  the  enemy  the  too 
generous  host  who  was  going  to  welcome 
him  .  .  . 

21 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 


No! 


MERLIN 

Why?     Do  you  know  him? 

JOYZELLE 

Yes. 

MEELIN 

Since  when? 

JOYZELLE 

Since  I  first  saw  him. 

MERLIN 

And  when  did  you  see  him? 

JOYZELLE 

When  he  entered  this  room    .  .  , 

MERLIN 

That  is  hardly  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

It  is  enough. 

MERLIN 

No,  Joyzelle,  and  soon  proofs  and  facts 

22 


Joyzelle 

will  show  you  that  it  is  not  enough  and  that 
an  honest  look,  an  innocent  smile  and  ingen- 
uous words  often  conceal  more  dangerous 
snares  than  those  of  thankless  old  age  or  of 
love  that  has  but  little  hope  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 
What  do  you  mean  to  do? 

MERLIN 

I  am  waiting  for  the  last  certainty;  and 
then  I  shall  do  what  it  is  lawful  and  necessary 
to  do  to  remove  all  fear  of  an  enemy  who 
would  stop  at  nothing.  The  pitiless  measures 
which  I  shall  take  concern  your  safety  as 
much  as  my  own ;  for  the  same  plot  surrounds 
us  both  and  we  are  united  by  fate  ...  I 
can  tell  you  no  more  to-day ;  have  confidence 
in  me ;  perhaps  you  already  know  that  your 
happiness  is  mine  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

You  saved  my  life,  I  remember  that    .  .  . 

MERLIN 

You  remember  it  without  any  kindliness; 
23 


Joyzelle 

but  I  hope  that  one  day  you  will  do  me  jus- 
tice .  .  .  [To  LANCEOR]  As  for  you,  go! 
The  information  which  I  have  received  is  not 
open  to  doubt.  When  the  facts  which  I  fear 
have  confirmed  it,  I  shall  act.  Meanwhile, 
you  are  my  prisoner.  You  will  be  shown  the 
part  of  the  palace  reserved  for  you.  If  you 
go  beyond  the  limits  laid  down,  you  become 
your  own  judge  and  pronounce  your  own 
sentence.  There  will  be  no  appeal.  Go,  my 
orders  are  given  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

I  obey,  but  only  until  you  recognise  your 
error.  We  shall  meet  soon,  Joyzelle  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

No,  bid  her  farewell;  for  it  is  doubtful  if 
you  will  ever  see  her  again  .  .  .  Neverthe- 
less, Joyzelle,  chance  may  bring  you  again 
in  this  man's  presence.  In  that  case,  fly  from 
him ;  your  life  and  his  depend  most  strictly 
on  your  prompt  flight.  If  I  learn  that  you 
have  seen  each  other,  you  are  irrevocably  lost 
.  .  .  \To  LANCEOR]  Do  you  promise  to  fly 
from  her? 

24 


Joyzelle 

LANCEOB 

If  her  life  is  at  stake,  yes. 

MERLIN 

And  you,  Joyzelle? 

JOYZELLE 

No. 


CURTAIN 


ACT   II 

(A  wild,  neglected  garden,  full  of  weeds  and 
brambles.  On  the  right,  a  very  high  and 
gloomy  wall,  pierced  by  a  railed  gate. 
JOYZELLE  is  discovered  in  the  garden, 
alone.) 

JOYZELLE 

THIS    is    the    garden    which    no    one 
visits.     The  sun  does  not  enter  here; 
the    poor    wild    flowers    upon    which 
men  wage  war  because  they  are  not  beautiful 
here  await  death;  and  the  birds  are  silent. 
Here  are  the  violet,  which  has  lost  its  per- 
fume, the  trembling,  shaking  buttercup  and 
the  scarlet  poppy,  which  sheds  its  petals  with- 
out ceasing  .  .   .  Here  are  the  scabious  beg- 
ging for  a  little  water,  the  deadly   spurge 
hiding  its  green  blossoms,  the  blue  campa- 
nula silently  shaking  its  useless  bells  ...   I 
know    you    all,    you    humble    and    despised 
flowers,  so  good  and  so  ugly  !  .  .  .  You  couldf 
26 


Joyzelle 

be  beautiful ;  it  needs  scarce  anything :  a  ray 
of  happiness,  a  minute's  grace,  a  bolder 
smile  to  attract  the  bee  .  .  .  But  no  eye  sees 
you,  no  hand  sows  you,  no  hand  gathers  you ; 
and  I  have  come  among  you  to  be  also  alone 
.  .  .  How  gloomy  everything  looks !  .  .  . 
The  grass  is  neglected  and  parched,  the  leaves 
are  sick,  the  old  trees  dying ;  and  spring  itself 
and  the  dew  of  dawn  are  afraid  lest  they 
should  grow  sorrowful  in  this  solitude  .  .  . 
[LANCEOR  appears  behind  the  railed  gate.'} 

LANCEOR 
Joyzelle!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Lanceor!  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 
Joyzelle!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Go    away!  .  .  .     Go    away!  .  .  .     Take 
care!  ...  It  is  death  if  he  sees  you!  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 
He  will  not  see  us ;  he  is  very  far  from  here. 

27 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 

Where  is  he?  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

I  saw  him  go  away.  I  watched  his  depart- 
ure from  the  top  of  that  tower  in  which  I 
am  a  prisoner  .  .  .  He  is  at  the  other  end 
of  the  island,  near  the  blue  forest  that  shuts 
in  the  horizon  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

But  he  may  return;  or  some  one  will  tell 
him  .  .  .  Go  away,  go  away,  I  tell  you! 
.  .  .  Your  life  is  at  stake!  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

The  palace  is  deserted;  I  have  gone 
through  the  rooms,  the  gardens,  and  the 
courts,  the  long  box  hedges,  the  marble  stair- 
cases .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Go  away,  it  is  only  a  trap    .  .  .  He  has  a 

design  upon  your  life;  I  know  it,  he  said 

so    ...  He  suspects  that  I  love  you    .  .  . 

He  is  only  seeking  an  excuse  for  what  he 

28 


Joyzelle 

would   like   to   do    ...  Go   away!  ...  As 
it  is,  you  have  done  too  much    .  .  . 

LANCEOR 
No. 

JOYZELLE 

If  you  do  not  go  away,  then  I  shall 
go  ... 

LANCEOR 

If  you  go,  Joyzelle,  I  shall  remain  at  this 
gate  until  night  brings  him  back  to  the 
palace.  .  .  .  He  will  find  me  on  this  for- 
bidden threshold  ...  I  have  passed  the 
limits  assigned  to  me;  I  have  therefore  dis- 
obeyed him;  and  I  wish  him  to  see  it  and  I 
wish  him  to  know  it !  ... 

JOYZELLE 

Lanceor,  have  pity !  I  entreat  you,  Lan- 
ceor!  .  .  .  You  are  risking  all  our  hap- 
piness !  .  .  .  Do  not  think  only  of  your- 
self!  ...  I  will  go  where  you  please,  if  you 
will  leave  that  gate!  .  .  .  We  shall  see  each 
other  elsewhere,  later,  another  day  .  .  .  We 
must  choose  the  time,  we  must  take  care,  we 
29 


Joyzelle 

must  make  our  preparations  .  .  .  See,  I  am 
stretching  out  my  arms  to  you  .  .  .  what 
would  you  have  me  do?  ...  What  must  I 
promise  you?  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Open  the  gate. 

JOYZELLE 

No,  no,  no,  I  cannot    .  .  . 

LANCEOH. 

Open,  open,  Joyzelle,  if  you  would  have 
me  live  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Why  do  you  wish  me  to  open?  .  .  . 

LANCEOE 

I  want  to  see  you  closer,  I  want  to  touch 
your  hands  which  I  have  not  yet  touched,  to 
look  at  you  once  more  as  I  looked  at  you  on 
the  first  day  .  .  .  Open,  or  I  am  determined 
to  be  undone ;  I  shall  not  go  away  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Will  you  go  away  then?  .  .  . 
30 


Joyzelle 

LANCEOR 

I  promise  you,  Joyzelle  ...  As  soon  as 
you  open  the  gate,  before  a  swallow,  before 
a  thought  has  time  to  hasten  from  wherever 
it  may  be  to  surprise  my  hand  as  it  touches 
yours  ...  I  beseech  you,  Joyzelle :  this  is 
too  cruel  ...  I  am  standing  at  this  gate 
like  a  blind  beggar  ...  I  can  see  only  your 
shadow  moving  among  the  leaves  .  .  .  These 
bars  are  hateful  and  hide  your  face  .  .  . 
One  look  alone,  Joyzelle,  in  which  I  shall  see 
you  wholly ;  and  then  I  will  go,  like  a  robber 
flying  with  a  great  treasure  dragging  noisily 
behind  him  .  .  .  No  one  will  know  and  we 
shall  be  happy  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Lanceor,  this  is  terrible!  ...  I  never 
tremble,  but  I  am  trembling  to-day  .  .  . 
Perhaps  it  means  your  life;  and  it  already 
means  mine  .  .  .  What  is  that  light  which 
rises  so  quickly  ?  ...  It  has  come  to  threaten 
us,  it  is  going  to  betray  us !  ... 

LANCEOR 

No,  no,  it  is   the   sun   rising  behind  the 


Joyzelle 

wall  ...  It  is  the  innocent  sun,  the  good 
May  sun,  which  has  come  to  delight  us  ... 
Open,  then,  open  quickly:  each  minute  that 
passes  adds  its  dangers  to  the  dangers  which 
you  fear  ...  A  single  movement,  Joyzelle ; 
a  turn  of  your  hand ;  and  you  really  open  the 
gates  of  life  to  me!  [JOYZELLE  turns  the 
key;  the  gate  opens;  LANCEOR  crosses  the 
threshold.] 

LANCEOR 

[Taking  JOYZELLE  in  his  arms.}      Joy- 
zelle! .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

I  am  here !  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

I  hold  your  hands  and  your  eyes,  your  hair 
and  your  lips,  in  the  same  kiss  and  at  the 
same  moment,  all  the  gifts  of  love  which  I 
have  never  had  and  all  its  presence!  .  .  . 
My  arms  are  so  surprised  that  they  cannot 
carry  them;  and  my  whole  life  cannot  con- 
tain them  .  .  Do  not  turn  away  your  face, 
do  not  draw  back  your  lips !  .  .  . 
32 


Joyzelle 

JOTZELLE 

It  is  not  to  escape  you,  but  to  be  closer  to 
you  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Do  not  turn  your  head ;  do  not  deprive  me 
of  a  shadow  of  your  lashes,  a  gleam  of  your 
eyes :  it  is  not  the  hours,  but  the  very  minutes 
that  threaten  our  happiness  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 
I  was  seeking  your  smile    .  .  . 

LANCEOE. 

And  your  own  meets  mine  in  the  first  kiss 
that  passes  between  our  lips  to  unite  our  des- 
tinies ...  It  seems  to  me  to-day  as  though 
I  had  always  seen  you  and  always  clasped 
you  and  as  though  I  were  repeating,  in  real- 
ity, on  the  threshold  of  paradise,  what  I  did 
on  earth  when  embracing  your  shadow  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

I  used  to  embrace  you  at  night  when  I  em- 
braced my  dreams  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 
I  knew  no  doubt    .  .  . 

33 


Joyzelle 


JOYZELLE 

I  knew  no  fear    .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

And  everything  is  granted  me   ... 

JOYZELLE 

'And  everything  makes  me  happy!  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

How  deep  your  eyes  are  and  how  full  of 
confidence!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

And  how  clear  are  yours  and  full  of 
certainty!  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

How  well  I  recognise  them?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

And  how  well  I  know  yours !  .  .  . 

LANCEOH 

Your  hands  rest  on  my  shoulders  just  as 
when  I  lay  waiting  for  them  without  daring 
to  wake  .  .  . 

34 


Joyzelle 


JOYZELLE 

And  your  arm  is  round  my  neck  just  as  it 
was    .  .  . 

LANCEOB 

It  was  thus  that  your  eyelids  used  to  close 
at  the  breath  of  love    .   .  . 

JOYZELLE 

And  it  was  thus,  too,  that  the  tears  came 
to  your  eyes  when  they  opened    .  .  . 

LANCEOB 

When  happiness  is  so  great    .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Unhappiness   does    not   come    so   long   as 
love  binds  it    ... 

LANCEOB 

Do  you  love  me?  ... 

JOYZELLE 

Yes    ... 

LANCEOR 

Oh,  how  you  said  '  yes  '!...'  Yes  '  from 
the  depths  of  your  heart,  from  the  depths  of 

35 


Joyzelle 

your  thought,  from  the  depths  of  your  very 
soul !  .  .  .  I  knew  it,  perhaps ;  but  it  had  to 
be  said;  and  our  kisses  themselves  did  not 
count  without  it  ...  Now  it  is  enough, 
it  will  feed  my  life;  all  the  hatred  on  earth 
could  not  wipe  it  away  nor  thirty  years  of 
distress  exhaust  it!  ...  I  am  in  the  light 
and  the  spring  overwhelms  me!  ...  I  look 
up  to  the  sky  and  the  garden  awakens !  .  .  . 
Do  you  hear  the  birds  making  the  trees  sing 
and  repeating  your  smile  and  that  wonderful 
'  yes ' ;  and  do  you  see  the  rays  that  caress 
your  hair  like  diamonds  sparkling  among  the 
flames  and  the  thousands  of  flowers  that  bend 
over  us  to  surprise  in  our  eyes  the  mystery  of 
a  love  which  they  did  not  know?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

[Opening  Tier  eyesJ\   There    was    nothing 
here  but  poor,  dead  flowers    .   .  . 

\Slie  looks  around  her,  stupefied;  for, 
since  Lanceor's  entrance,  without  their 
noticing  it,  th-e  gloomy  garden  has 
become  gradually  transfigured  by 
magic.  The  wild  plants,  the  weeds 
that  poisoned  it,  have  groivn,  and 
36 


Joyzelle 

each,  according  to  its  kind,  has  in- 
creased its  flowers,  blossoming  to  a 
prodigious  size.  The  puny  bindweed 
has  become  a  powerful  creeper,  whose 
wonderful  blossoms  en  garland  the 
trees  weighed  down  with  ripe  fruits 
and  peopled  with  marvellous  birds. 
The  white  pimpernel  is  now  a  tall 
shrub  of  a  warm  and  tender  green, 
with  bursting  flowers  larger  than  lilies. 
The  pale  scabious  has  lengthened  its 
stalks,  from  which  spring  tufts  like 
mauve  heliotrope.  .  .  .  Butterflies  flit 
to  and  fro,  the  bees  hum,  the  birds 
sing,  the  fruits  swing  and  fall,  the 
light  streams  down.  The  perspective 
of  the  garden  has  become  infinitely 
extended;  and  the  audience  now  sees, 
to  the  right,  a  marble  basin,  half- 
hidden  behind  a  hedge  of  oleanders 
and  turnsoles  cut  into  arches.~\ 

LANCEOR 

There  is  nothing  here  now  but  the  flowers 
of  life!  .  .  .  Look!  .  .  .  They  are  coming 
down,  they  are  streaming  down  upon  us  !  .  .  - 

37 


Joyzelle 

They  are  bursting  on  the  branches,  they  bend 
the  trees,  they  entangle  our  steps,  they  press 
against  one  another,  they  crush  one  another, 
they  open  out  wide,  one  within  the  other,  they 
blind  the  leaves,  they  dazzle  the  grass ;  I 
know  none  of  them  and  the  spring  is  drunk; 
I  have  never  seen  flowers  so  disordered,  so 
resplendent!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Where  are  we?  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

We  are  in  the  garden  which  you  would  not 
open  to  my  love  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

What  have  we  done? 

LANCEOR 

I  have  given  the  kiss  that  is  given  but 
once;  and  you  have  spoken  the  word  that  is 
never  respoken  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

\Swoonmg.~\  Lanceor,  I  am  mad,  or  else 
we  are  going  to  die    .  .  . 
38 


Joyzelle 

LANCEOR 

[Supporting  her.~\  Joyzelle,  you  are  turn- 
ing pale  and  your  dear  arms  are  press- 
ing me  as  though  you  feared  that  a  hidden 
enemy  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Have  you  not  seen  it?  ... 

LANCEOB 

What? 

JOYZELLE 

We  are  caught  in  a  trap  and  those 
flowers  are  betraying  us  ...  The  birds 
were  silent,  the  trees  were  dead,  there  was 
nothing  here  but  weeds,  which  no  one  dug 
up  ...  I  recognize  them  all  and  remem- 
ber their  names,  which  still  remind  me  of  their 
former  wretchedness  .  .  .  Here  is  the  but- 
tercup, laden  with  golden  disks ;  the  poor 
pale  pimpernel  is  changed  into  a  bush  of 
lilies ;  the  tall  scabious  are  dropping  their 
petals  over  our  heads ;  and  those  purple  bells, 
which  shoot  up  over  the  wall  to  tell  to  the 
world  that  they  have  seen  us,  are  the  fox- 

39 


Joyzelle 

glove,  which  was  pining  in  the  shade  .  .  . 
It  is  as  though  the  sky  had  shed  its  flowers 
.  .  .  Do  not  look  at  them ;  they  are  here  to 
ruin  us  ...  Ah,  I  am  wrong  to  seek  and  I 
should  have  understood!  .  .  .  He  muttered 
confused  threats  .  .  .  Yes,  yes,  I  knew  he 
had  spells  at  his  command  .  .  .  They  told 
me  so  one  day,  but  I  did  not  believe  them 
.  .  .  Now  it  is  his  time;  it  is  well,  it  is  too 
late;  but  perhaps  we  shall  see  that  love  also 
knows  .  .  .  [A  horn  sounds.] 

LANCEOR 

Hark!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

It  is  the  horses'  hoofs  and  the  horn  sound- 
ing the  recall.     He  is  returning.     Fly !  .  .  . 

LANCEOE 

But  you?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

I  have  nothing  to   fear  but  his   hateful 
love    ...  Go!  ... 

40 


Joyzelle 

LANCEOR 

I  will  stay  with  you;  and,  if  his  vio- 
lence .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

You  will  ruin  us  both  .  .  .  Go!  .  .  . 
Hide  there,  behind  those  spurges  .  .  . 
Whatever  he  may  say,  whatever  he  may  do, 
do  not  show  yourself  and  fear  nothing  for 
me:  I  shall  know  how  to  defend  myself  .  .  . 
Go!  ...  He  is  coming!  ...  Go!  ...  I 
hear  his  voice  .  .  . 

[LANCEOR  hides  behind  a  cluster  of  tall 
spurges.  The  railed  gate  opens  and 
MERLIN  enters  the  garden.] 

MERLIN 
Is  he  here,  Joyzelle?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

No. 

MERLIN 

Those  flowers  do  not  lie;  they  inform 
against  love  .  .  .  They  were  your  keep- 
ers and  have  been  faithful  to  me  ...  I 


Joyzelle 

am  not  cruel  and  I  forgive  more  than 
once  .  .  .  You  can  save  him  by  pointing  to 
the  bush  which  hides  him  .  .  .  [JOY- 
ZELLE stands  motionless.]  Do  not  look  at 
me  with  those  eyes  of  hatred  .  .  .  You  will 
love  me  one  day,  for  love  goes  by  dark 
and  generous  paths  .  .  .  Do  you  not  be- 
lieve that  I  will  keep  my  promises?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 
No!  ... 

MEIILIN 

I  have  done  nothing,  Joyzelle,  to  deserve 
such  hatred  or  such  an  insult  .  .  .  Since  you 
wish  it,  I  will  let  fate  take  its  course  .  .  . 

[A  cry  of  pain  is  heard  from  behind  the 
cluster  of  spurges.] 

JOYZELLE 

[Rushing  behind  the  cluster.]  Lan- 
ceor!  .  .  . 

LANCEOB 

Joyzelle!  ...  I  am  hurt  .  .  .  An  adder 
has  stung  me  .  .  . 

42 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 

It  Is  not  an  adder  ...  It  is  a  horrible 
animal  ...  It  is  lifting  itself  against  you! 
.  .  .  Let  me  crush  it  underfoot  ...  It  is 
foaming  ...  It  is  dead.  .  .  .  Lanceor,  you 
are  turning  pale!  .  .  .  Lean  on  my  neck 
.  .  .  Fear  nothing,  I  am  strong  .  .  .  Show 
me  your  wound  .  .  .  Lanceor,  I  am  here 
.  .  .  Lanceor,  answer  me !  ... 

MERLIN 

[Approaching  them  and  examining  the 
bite.]  The  wound  is  mortal  .  .  .  The  poi- 
son is  very  slow  and  its  action  is  strange  .  .  . 
Do  not  despair  ...  I  alone  know  the 
remedy  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Lanceor!  Lanceor!  Answer  me!  Answer 
me!  ... 

MERLIN 

He  will  not  answer,  he  is  sound  asleep 
.  .  .  Withdraw,  Joyzelle,  unless  you  wish  this 
mere  sleep  to  end  in  the  grave  .  .  .  With- 
draw, Joyzelle:  you  will  not  be  betraying 
him ;  you  will  be  warding  off  death  .  .  . 

43 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 

First  make  the  sign  that  shall  restore  him 
to  life! 

MERLIN 

[Looking  at  her  gravely. ~\  I  will  make  the 
sign,  Joyzelle.  [JOYZELLE  exit  slowly,  turns 
back  and  withdraws  at  last,  before  a  grave 
and  imperious  gesture  from  MERLIN.  MER- 
LIN, left  alone  with  LANCEOR,  kneels  down  be- 
side him  to  dress  his  wound.'}  There,  have  no 
fear,  my  son,  there,  it  is  for  your  happiness ; 
and  may  all  my  heart  open  in  the  first  kiss 
that  I  am  able  to  give  you.  [He  embraces 
him  long  and  fervently.  Enter  ARIELLE.] 

ARIELLE 

Master,  we  must  hasten  and  lay  the  new 
trap. 

MERLIN 
Will  he  fall  into  it? 

ARIELLE 

Man  always  falls  into  a  trap,  when  his  in- 
stinct leads  him;  but  let  us  veil  his  reason, 
let  us  change  his  character;  we  shall  behold 
a  sight  that  will  make  us  smile  .  .  . 

44 


Joyzelle 

MERLIN 

I  shall  not  smile,  for  the  sight  is  a  sad  one 
and  I  do  not  like  to  see  a  noble  and  beautiful 
love,  a  love  that  believes  itself  predestined 
and  unparalleled,  thus  reduced  to  nothing, 
at  the  first  proof,  in  the  arms  of  a 
phantom  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

Lanceor  is  not  free,  for  he  is  no  longer 
himself  and  I  have  abandoned  him  to  his 
instinct  during  the  past  hour  .  .  . 

MERLIN 
He  ought  to  have  conquered  it    ... 

ARIELLE 

You  speak  like  that  because  I  am  submis- 
sive: but  remember  the  time  when  I  was  less 
docile. 

MERLIN 

You  think  yourself  very  docile  because  I 
have  conquered  you ;  but  you  retain  some 
shadow  even  in  the  light  in  which  I  have  been 

45 


Joyzelle 

able  to  train  you  and  I  find  in  you  a  certain 
cruelty  that  takes  too  great  a  pleasure  in 
men's  weaknesses  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

Men's  weaknesses  are  often  necessary  to 
the  purposes  of  life    .  .  . 

MERLIN 

What  will  happen  if  he  yields?  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

He  will  yield:  it  is  written.     The  question 
is  if  Joyzelle's  love  will  surmount  the  proof. 

MERLIN 

And  do  you  not  know? 

ARIELLE 

No;  she  has  a  mind  which  is  not  wholly 
within  my  sphere,  which  depends  upon  a  prin- 
ciple which  I  do  not  know,  which  I  have  never 
seen  except  in  her  and  which  changes  the  fu- 
ture ...  I  have  tried  to  subdue  her;  but 
she  obeys  me  only  in  little  things.  But  it  is 
46 


Joyzelle 

time  to  act.  Go  and  find  Joyzelle  and  leave 
your  son  to  me  ...  Go,  lest  you  should 
spoil  the  proof  ...  I  shall  revive  him,  I 
shall  renew  and  make  still  deeper  and  blinder 
the  intoxication  into  which  I  have  plunged 
him ;  and  I  shall  become  visible  to  his  eyes  in 
order  to  deceive  his  kisses  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

[In  a  voice  of  smiling  reproach.] 
Arielle  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

Go,  let  me  be  ...  You  know  that  kisses 
given  to  poor  Arielle  pass  like  the  flash  of  a 
wing  that  closes  over  running  water  .  .  . 

[MERLIN  retires  to  a  distance.  ARI- 
ELLE goes  towards  the  marble  basin; 
and  there,  half-hidden  behind  the 
hedge  of  oleanders,  she  half  opens  the 
veils  that  cover  her,  sits  on  the  grassy 
steps  that  surround  the  basin  and 
slowly  unties  her  long  hair,  while 
LANCEOR  awakes,  groping  with  his 
hands.] 

47 


Joyzelle 

LANCEOR 

Where  did  I  fall  asleep?  Some  strange 
poison  has  entered  my  heart  ...  I  am  no 
longer  the  same  and  my  mind  is  wander- 
ing ...  I  am  struggling  against  the  intox- 
ication and  I  do  not  know  where  I  am 
going  .  .  .  [Catches  sight  of  ARIELLE.] 
But  who  is  that  woman  behind  the  oleanders? 
[Approaching  the  hedge  and  looking.]  She 
is  beautiful!  .  .  .  She  is  half  unclad  and 
her  curved  foot,  like  a  prudent  flower,  is  try- 
ing the  water,  which  smiles  and  encircles  it 
with  pearls  .  .  .  She  raises  her  arms  to 
bind  her  hair;  and  the  light  of  the  sky 
glides  between  her  shoulders,  like  gleaming 
water  over  marble  wings.  [Approaching 
closer.]  She  is  beautiful,  she  is  beauti- 
ful! ...  I  must  see  her  .  .  .  She  is  turn- 
ing round  and  one  of  her  bare  breasts,  peep- 
ing through  her  tresses,  adds  rays  to  the  rays 
that  strike  it  ...  She  is  listening,  she 
hears  ;  and  her  wide-open  eyes  are  questioning 
the  roses  .  .  .  She  has  seen  me,  she  hides 
herself,  she  is  going  to  fly  ...  [Passing 
through  the  hedge.]  No,  no,  do  not  fly  from 
me!  ...  I  have  seen  you  ...  It  is  too 
48 


Joyzelle 

late!  .  .  .  \Tdkmg  ARIELLE  in  his  arms.]  I 
want  to  know  the  name  of  so  pure  a  vision, 
which  plunges  into  darkness  all  that  I  have 
loved!  ...  I  want  to  know  also  what  too 
faithful  shadow,  what  profound  retreat  con- 
cealed the  marvel  which  I  hold  in  my 
arms !  .  .  .  What  trees,  what  caves,  what 
towers,  what  walls  were  able  to  stifle  the 
brilliancy  of  that  flesh,  the  fragrance  of  that 
life,  the  fire  of  those  eyes?  .  .  .  Where  were 
you  hiding,  you  whom  even  a  blind  man 
would  find  without  difficulty  in  a  holiday 
crowd?  .  .  .  No,  do  not  thrust  me  away: 
this  is  not  the  passion,  the  intoxication 
of  a  moment;  it  is  the  lasting  dizziness  of 
love!  ...  I  am  at  your  knees;  I  humbly 
embrace  them  ...  I  give  myself  to  you 
alone  ...  I  am  only  yours  ...  I  ask  for 
nothing  but  a  kiss  from  your  lips  to  forget 
the  rest  and  seal  the  future  .  .  .  Bow  down 
your  head  ...  I  see  it  bending  towards  me, 
I  see  it  consenting;  and  I  call  for  the  token 
which  nothing  can  efface  henceforth  .  .  . 
[He  kisses  her  passionately.  A  cry  of  dis- 
tress is  heard  from  behind  the  bushes.]  What 
is  it?  .  .  . 

49 


Joyzelle 

[ARIELLE  releases  herself  from  his  em- 
brace, flits  and  disappears.  Enter 
JOYZELLE.] 

JOYZELLE 
[Dismayed.]    Lanceor!  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Why,  where  do  you  come  from,  Joyzelle? 

JOYZELLE 

I  have  seen  and  heard    .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Well,  what?  .  .  .  What  have  you  seen? 
.  .  .  Look  around  you:  there  is  nothing  to 
see  ...  The  oleanders  are  in  flower,  the 
water  in  the  basin  sleeps,  the  doves  are  coo- 
ing, the  water-lilies  are  opening  their  petals : 
that  is  all  that  I  see,  all  that  you  can 
see  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Do  you  love  her? 

50 


Joyzelle 

LANCEOR 


Whom?  .  . 


JOYZELLE 

The  woman  who  has  just  fled. 

LANCEOR 

How  should  I  love  her?  ...  I  had  never 
seen  her  .  .  .  The  woman  was  there;  I  hap- 
pened to  pass  .  .  .  She  gave  a  loud  scream 
...  I  ran  up  ...  She  seemed  to  have  lost 
her  footing  and,  as  I  held  out  my  hand  to  her, 
she  gave  me  the  kiss  which  you  heard  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 
Is  it  really  you  speaking?  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Yes,  look  at  me :  it  is  really  and  wholly 
I  ...  Come  nearer,  touch  me  if  you  doubt 
it  ... 

JOYZELLE 

The  proof  was  terrible;  but  this  is 
mortal  .  .  . 

51 


Joyzelle 

LANCEOE 


What?  . 


JOYZELLE 

Was  this  the  first  time  that  you  saw  that 
woman?  .  .  . 

LANCEOE 

Yes. 

JOYZELLE 

I  shall  not  speak  of  it  again  ...  I  shall 
understand,  perhaps ;  in  any  case,  I  for- 
give .  .  . 

LANCEOR 
There  is  nothing  to  forgive. 

JOYZELLE 

What  do  you  say?  .  .  . 

LANCEOE 

I  say  that  I  have  no  need  for  the  pardon 
with  which  you  overwhelm  a  fault  which  I 
have  not  committed. 

52 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 

Which    you    have    not    committed?  .  .  . 
Then  I  did  not  see  what  I  saw  nor  hear  what 
I  heard?  .  .  . 

LANCEOB 
No. 

JOYZELLE 

Lanceor!  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Lanceor !  Lanceor !  ...  If  you  called  me 
by  my  name  for  a  thousand  years  and  more, 
it  would  alter  nothing  in  what  was  no- 
thing! .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

I  do  not  know  what  is  passing  between 
your  happiness  and  mine  .  .  .  Oh,  look 
at  me  and  touch  my  hands,  that  I  may  know 
where  you  are!  .  .  .  Oh,  if  you  speak  like 
that,  then  it  was  not  you  whom  I  saw  this 
morning  in  the  wonderful  garden  where  I 
gave  away  my  soul!  .  .  .  No,  there  is  some- 
thing that  is  mocking  our  strength  .  .  . 
It  is  not  possible  that  all  is  thus  lost  because 
of  a  single  word  ...  I  am  seeking,  I  am 

53 


Joyzelle 

all  astray  ...  I  saw  you,  then,  and  saw  all 
truth  and  all  trust,  as  one  suddenly  sees  the 
sea  between  the  trees !  .  .  .  I  was  sure,  I 
knew  .  .  .  Love  did  not  deceive  me  ... 
It  deceives  me  now !  ...  It  cannot  be  that 
all  this  should  crumble  away  for  a  yea  or  a 
nay  .  .  .  No,  no,  I  will  not  have  it!  .  .  . 
Come,  it  is  not  too  late ;  we  have  not  yet  lost 
our  happiness  ...  It  is  all  in  our  hands, 
which  close  upon  it.  ...  What  you  have 
just  done  was  mad,  perhaps  ...  I  forget 
it,  I  laugh  at  it,  I  saw  nothing,  I  tell  you ! 
...  It  does  not  exist:  you  can  wipe  it  out 
with  a  word  .  .  .  You  well  know,  as  I  do, 
that  love  has  words  which  nothing  can  resist 
and  that  the  greatest  fault,  when  confessed 
in  a  loyal  kiss,  becomes  a  truth  more  beauti- 
ful than  innocence  .  .  .  Speak  that  word  to 
me ;  give  me  that  kiss :  confess  the  truth,  con- 
fess what  I  saw,  what  I  heard;  and  all  will 
again  be  pure  as  it  was  and  I  shall  recover 
all  that  you  gave  me  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

I  have  said  what  I  have  said ;  if  you  do  not 
believe  me,  go  away,  you  annoy  me    ... 

54 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 

Look  me  in  the  face  .  .  .  Do  you  love 
her,  since  you  lie  like  that?  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

No,  I  love  no  one;  and  you  less  than  the 
others  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Lanceor!  .  .  .  What  have  I  'done?  .  .  . 
Perhaps,  without  knowing  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Nothing ;  it  is  not  that  .  .  .  But  I  am  not 
what  you  thought  and  I  do  not  care  to  be 
...  I  am  like  other  men  ;  I  wish  you  to  know 
it  and  make  the  best  of  it  ...  I  want  all 
our  promises  to  be  scattered  to  the  wind  of 
some  new  dream,  like  this  dead  leaf  which  I 
crumple  in  my  hand  .  .  .  Ah,  the  love  of 
women !  .  .  .  Well,  so  much  the  worse  for 
them !  .  .  .  I  shall  live  like  other  men  in  a 
faithless  world,  where  no  one  loves,  where  all 
oaths  yield  to  the  first  test  .  .  .  Ah, 
tears !  .  .  .  They  were  bound  to  come,  I  ex- 
pected them!  .  .  .  You  are  hard,  I  know, 

55 


Joyzelle 

and  your  tears  arc  scarce  ...  I  count  them 
drop  by  drop !  .  .  .  You  did  not  love  me ! 
.  .  .  Love  which  comes  thus,  at  the  first  call, 
is  not  that  on  which  happiness  is  based  .  .  . 
In  any  case,  it  is  not  that  which  I  hoped 
for  .  .  .  More  tears !  .  .  .  They  flow  too 
late !  .  .  .  You  did  not  love  me,  I  did  not  love 
you  .  .  .  Another  would  have  said  .  .  . 
Ah,  another  would  have  known!  .  .  .  But 
you,  no,  no;  go  away!  .  .  .  Go  away,  go 
away,  I  say!  .  .  . 

[JOYZELLE  moves  away  silently,  sobbing. 
When  she  has  taken  a  few  steps,  she 
turns  back,  hesitates,  looks  sadly  at 
LANCEOR  and  disappears  with  a  sup- 
pressed cry,  "  I  love  you !  .  .  .  " 
LANCEOR,  overwhelmed,  bewildered, 
staggers  away  and  leans  against  the 
trunk  of  a  tree.~\ 

LANCEOR 

What    have    I    done?  ...  I    am    obey- 
ing .   .   .   what?  ...  I  do  not  know    .   .   . 
What  have  I  said?  ...  It  is  not  I  speak- 
ing   ...  I  have  lost  happiness,  the  present, 
56 


Joyzelle 

the  future  ...  I  am  no  longer  my  own 
master  .  .  .  I  do  what  I  hate  to  do  ...  I 
do  not  know  who  I  am  .  .  .  Joyzelle!  .  .  . 
Ah,  my  Joyzelle!  .  .  . 

[He  falls,  sobbing,  with  his  face  to  the 
ground.} 


CURTAIN 


57 


ACT    III 

SCENE    I 

A  Room  in  the  Palace 

(LANCEOR  is  discovered  before  a  mirror.  He 
appears  emaciated,  bent,  aged,  unrec- 
ognisable. ) 

LANCEOR 

WHO  am  I?     In  a  few  hours  I  have 
aged  thirty  years  .  .  .  The  poison 
is  doing   its   work   and   sorrow   too 
...  I  see  myself  with  terror  in  this  mirror 
which  shows   me   the  wreck  of  myself    .   .  . 
Yet  it  does  not  lie.      [Going  to  another  mir- 
ror.]   For  here  is  another  that  says  the  same 
thing  .  .  .  unless  they  all  lie,  just  as  every- 
thing seems  to  lie  and  to  mock  at  me  in  this 
extraordinary   island.      [He  feels  his  face.] 
Alas,    they    are    right !  .   .   .   These    wrinkles 
which  my  hand  follows  are  not  formed  by 
58 


Joyzelle 

their  malevolent  crystal  .  .  .  They  are 
in  my  flesh!  .  .  .  And  these  hideous  blem- 
ishes which  will  not  come  away,  I  feel  them 
under  my  fingers  .  .  .  These  bent  shoulders 
refuse  to  straighten  themselves ;  my  hair  is 
colourless,  like  pale  ashes  after  the  flame 
has  died  away ;  my  eyes,  even  my  eyes  hardly 
recognise  themselves  .  .  .  They  used  to 
open,  to  laugh,  to  welcome  life  .  .  .  Now 
they  blink  and  their  glances  avoid  me  like 
the  glances  of  a  knave  .  .  .  Not  a  thing 
remains  to  me  of  what  I  was ;  my  mother 
would  pass  by  me  and  not  see  me  ...  It  is 
finished  .  .  .  [Drawing  the  curtain  of  a 
tall  window.]  Let  us  hide  ourselves ;  let  com- 
plete dusk  cover  all  this !  .  .  .  [He  lies  down 
in  a  dark  corner  of  the  room]  I  give  up,  I 
consent  ...  I  have  done  what  love  can  never 
forgive  ...  I  am  losing  my  life  at  last,  as 
I  have  lost  Joyzelle  .  .  .  She  will  not  see  me 
again,  I  shall  not  see  her  again  .  .  . 

[A  door  opens.     Enter  JOYZELLE.] 

JOYZELLE 
[Surprised  ~by  the  darkness,  she  stands  a 

59 


Joyzelle 

moment  on  the  threshold.  Then,  casting  her 
eyes  around  the  room,  she  perceives  LANCEOB 
lying  in  a  corner  and  rushes  towards  him  with 
outstretched  arms.]  Lanceor!  .  .  .  Ah,  these 
last  three  days  I  have  lived  like  a  mad  thing! 
I  looked  for  you  everywhere.  I  went  to  the 
tower.  .  .  .  The  doors  were  closed,  the 
windows  too.  I  crouched  on  the  sill  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  your  shadow,  I  called,  I 
screamed,  no  one  answered.  .  .  .  But  how 
pale  you  are,  how  thin!  ...  I  am  talking 
to  you  without  thinking.  .  .  .  Give  me  your 
two  hands.  .  .  . 


LANCEOR, 


You  know  me? 


JOYZELLE 


Why  not? 


LANCEOR. 

But  then  I  am  not?  ...  I  am  still  my- 
self? .  .  .  Look  at  me!  .  .  .  What  trace  of 
me  remains?   .  .   .    \Going  to  the  -window  and 
tearing    aside    the    curtain.]   Look!     Look! 
60 


Joyzelle 

.  .  .  What  do  you  know  me  by?  ...  Tell 
me,  is  it  here?  ...  Is  it  my  hands,  my  eyes, 
my  clothes,  perhaps?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

[Looking  at  him  and  throwing  herself, 
weeping,  in  his  arms.]  Oh,  how  you  have 
suffered !  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

I  have  suffered,  yes,  I  have  suffered!  .  .  . 
I  deserved  it  but  too  well,  after  what  I  said, 
after  what  I  did !  .  .  .  But  that  is  not  what 
matters  or  overwhelms  me  ...  I  would 
willingly  die,  if  you  could  but  see  once  more, 
were  it  only  for  the  flash  of  an  eye,  that 
which  you  once  loved  ...  I  cling  to  my- 
self, to  the  little  that  remains  of  me  ...  I 
should  like  to  hide  myself,  to  bury  my 
distress ;  and  yet  I  want  you  to  see  me 
first,  so  that  you  may  know  at  last  what 
you  would  have  to  love,  if  you  still  loved 
me  .  .  .  Come,  come,  nearer,  nearer  .  .  . 
Not  nearer  to  me,  but  nearer  to  the  rays  that 
shine  upon  my  wretchedness  .  .  .  Look  at 
these  wrinkles,  these  dead  eyes,  these  lips 
61 


Joyzelle 

.  .  .  No,  no,  do  not  approach,  lest  dis- 
gust ...  I  am  less  like  myself  than  if  I  had 
returned  from  a  world  which  life  had  never 
visited  .  .  .  You  do  not  recoil?  You  are 
not  astonished?  .  .  .  You  do  not  see  me  as 
these  mirrors  see  me?  ... 

JOYZELLE 

I  see  that  you  are  pale  and  that  you  seem 
tired  .  .  .  Do  not  put  away  my  arms  .  .  . 
Bring  your  face  closer  .  .  .  Why  not  let 
me  put  my  lips  to  it,  as  I  did  when  all  things 
smiled  to  us  in  the  garden  of  flowers?  .  .  . 
Love  knows  many  days  when  nothing  smiles 
....  What  matter,  if  it  be  there  to  smile 
when  we  weep?  .  .  .  I  am  pushing  back  your 
hair  which  hid  your  face  and  made  it  look  so 
sad  .  .  .  See,  it  is  just  like  that  which  I 
pushed  back  in  our  first  kiss  .  .  .  Come, 
come,  do  not  think  about  the  lies  of  the  mir- 
rors .  .  .  They  do  not  know  what  they 
say;  but  love  knows  .  .  .  Already  life  is 
returning  to  those  eyes  which  see  me  again 
.  .  .  Have  no  fear,  for  I  have  none  ...  I 
know  what  we  must  do  and  I  shall  have  the 
secret  that  will  cure  your  pain  .  .  . 
62 


Joyzelle 

LANCEOB 

Joyzelle!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Yes,  yes,  come  nearer;  I  love  you  more 
clearly  than  at  the  happy  moment  when  all 
united  us  ... 

LANCEOR 

Ah,  I  understand  that;  but  the  other,  the 
other  thing!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

What  thing? 

LANCEOR 

I  understand  that  one  can  find  one's  love 
in  ruins,  that  one  can  gather  up  its  remnants 
and  love  them  still  .  .  .  But  where  are  the 
remnants  of  our  love?  Nothing  is  left  of  it; 
for,  before  fate  struck  me  as  you  see,  I  had 
crushed  out  of  existence  all  that  it  could  not 
destroy  ...  I  have  lied  and  deceived ;  and, 
at  the  very  moment  when  the  least  lie  begins 
again  in  a  sphere  where  nothing  is  wiped 

63 


Joyzelle 

out,  a  fault  which  love  might  have  pardoned 
.  .  .  Truth  is  dead  in  our  one  heart  ...  I 
have  lost  the  confidence  in  which  all  my 
thoughts  surrounded  your  thoughts,  even  as  a 
transparent  water  surrounds  a  still  clearer 
water  ...  I  myself  no  longer  believe  in  it,  I 
no  longer  believe  in  myself;  I  have  nothing 
pure  left  into  which  you  can  bend  to  find  my 
shadow ;  and  my  soul  is  even  sadder  than  my 
body  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 
Did  you  kiss  that  woman  ?  .  .  . 


LANCEOR 

Yes. 


JOYZELLE 

Did  she  call  you?  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

No. 

JOYZELLE 

And   why   did   you    say   that   I   was    mis- 
taken? .   .   . 

64 


Joyzelle 

LANCEOR 

What  good  would  it  be  to  tell  you,  Joy- 
zelle? It  is  too  late  .  .  .  You  would  not 
believe  me,  for  you  would  have  to  believe  the 
incredible  ...  I  was  walking  in  a  trance, 
in  a  sort  of  invincible,  mocking  dream  .  .  . 
My  mind,  my  reason,  my  will  were  all  further 
from  themselves  than  is  this  shattered  body 
from  what  it  was  ...  I  would  have  liked  to 
tell  you,  to  shout  to  you  again  and  again  that 
I  was  a  lie  that  had  escaped  control  and  that 
the  shameful  speeches  that  defiled  my  lips 
stifled,  in  spite  of  myself,  the  tearful  con- 
fession and  the  ardent  words  of  desperate 
love  that  were  leaping  towards  you  ...  I 
made  efforts  fit  to  burst  my  throat,  to  break 
my  heart;  and  I  heard  my  faithless  voice 
betray  me ;  and  my  arms,  my  hands,  my  eyes, 
my  kisses  were  powerless  to  disown  it;  for, 
except  my  soul,  which  you  did  not  see,  I  felt 
myself  a  prey  to  a  hostile  force,  irresistible, 
alas,  and  incomprehensible!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

But  ah,  I  did  see  it !  .   .  .  And  I  knew  at 
65 


Joyzelle 

once  that  it  was  not  you  that  were  lying; 
that  it  was  impossible    .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

How  did  you  know?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Because  I  love  you.  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

But  what  am  I,  Joyzelle,  what  do  you  love 
in  me,  in  whom  I  have  profaned  and  others 
destroyed  all  that  you  once  loved?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

You. 

LANCEOR 

What  remains  of  me?  .  .  .  Not  these 
hands,  which  have  lost  their  strength ;  not 
these  eyes,  which  no  longer  have  their  bright- 
ness ;  not  this  heart,  which  has  betrayed 
love  .  . 


JOYZELLE 

It  is  you  and  still  you  and  none  but  you 
yourself !  .   .   .  What  matter  who  you  are,  so 
66 


Joyzelle 

long  as  I  find  you!  .  .  .  Oh,  I  cannot  tell 
how  to  explain  that!  .  .  .  When  one  loves 
as  I  love  you,  she  is  blind  and  deaf,  because 
she  looks  beyond  and  listens  elsewhere  .  .  . 
When  she  loves  as  I  love  you,  it  is  not  what 
he  says,  it  is  not  what  he  does,  it  is  not  what 
he  is  that  she  loves  in  the  man  she  loves  :  it 
is  he  and  only  he,  who  remains  the  same, 
through  the  passing  years  and  troubles 
.  .  .  It  is  he  alone,  it  is  you  alone,  in  whom  no 
change  can  come  but  that  Avhich  increases 
love  .  .  .  He  who  is  all  in  you,  you  who  are 
all  in  him,  whom  I  see,  whom  I  hear,  to  whom 
I  listen  incessantly  and  whom  I  love  al- 
ways .  .  . 


Joyzelle,!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Yes,  yes,  embrace  me,  crush  me  in  your 
arms  !  .  .  .  We  have  to  struggle,  we  shall 
have  to  suffer  ;  we  are  here  in  a  world  that 
seems  full  of  snares  .  .  .  We  are  only  two, 
but  we  are  all  love  !  .  .  . 

67 


Joyzelle 


SCENE  II 

P 

(A  grove.  JOYZELLE  lies  sleeping  on  a 
grassy  bank,  before  a  box  hedge,  cut 
into  arches,  in  which  lilies  are  flower- 
ing. It  is  night.  A  fountain  ripples 
gently.  The  moon  is  shining.) 

[Enter  ARIELLE.] 

ARIELLE 

She  sleeps  .  .  .  The  breaths  of  the  garden 
are  hushed  around  her  to  listen  to  her  breath ; 
and  the  nightingale  alone,  deputed  by  the 
night  which  bathes  her  in  silver,  comes  to 
soothe  her  slumbers  .  .  .  How  beautiful  and 
peaceful  she  is ;  and  how  pure  she  looks,  a 
thousand  times  purer  than  the  water  that 
trickles  yonder,  flowing  from  the  glaciers,  in 
the  snowy  whiteness  that  sings  under  the  pale 
leaves !  .  .  .  Her  sweet  hair  lies  spread  like  a 
flood  of  motionless  light ;  and  the  moon  cannot 
tell  to  whom  belongs  the  gold  that  mingles 
with  the  azure  in  which  its  beams  float  .  .  . 
Her  bright  eyes  are  closed;  and  yet  the  light 
68 


Joyzelle 

that  falls  from  the  stars  tremulously  raises 
her  loving  eyelids  to  seek  beneath  them  the 
last  memory  of  the  fair  day  that  is  past 
.  .  .  Her  mouth  is  a  moist,  breathing  flower; 
and  the  lilies  have  poured  dew-drops  on  her 
bare  shoulder,  to  give  her  her  share  of  the 
pearls  which  night  distributes  in  silence,  in 
the  name  of  the  heavens  that  open  over  the 
treasure  of  the  worlds  .  .  .  Ah,  Joyzelle, 
Joyzelle!  I  am  but  a  phantom  lost  in  the 
night,  more  lost  than  you,  for  all  my  clear- 
sightedness, and  nearer  the  tomb  where  happi- 
ness expires  ...  I  am  not  my  own  mis- 
tress ;  I  obey  my  master,  I  can  give  nothing 
but  an  invisible  kiss,  which  cannot  wake  you 
and  is  not  even  mine  .  .  .  But  I  love  you, 
I  love  you,  as  a  less  happy  sister  loves  her 
whom  love  has  chosen  first  ...  I  love 
you,  I  encompass  you  with  all  the  powers 
that  are  not  named  in  the  prayers  of  men ; 
and  I  would  that  my  master  had  met  you 
earlier,  before  fate,  which  hurries  forward 
that  incomparable  hour,  had  fixed  the  tearful 
future  that  awaits  him  and  awaits  me  with 
him  ...  I  spread  my  powerless,  troubled 
affection  over  your  calm  sleep  .  .  .  Here  Is 
69 


Joyzelle 

the  only  kiss  that  I  can  give  you  .  .  .  Ah, 
why  docs  not  he  of  whom  I  am  but  the  uncon- 
scious and  docile  shadow  come  himself  to  lay 
it  on  your  lips,  which  call  to  mine  even  as  all 
that  is  beautiful  calls  to  mystery !  .  .  .  [She 
kisses  JOYZELLE  on  the  forehead.] 

JOYZELLE 
[In  her  sleep.]    Lanceor!  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

One  more  .  .  .  The  last,  even  as  we  drink 
of  the  well  defended  by  the  angels  who  keep 
the  secrets  of  time  and  space,  the  well  at 
whose  brink  we  shall  never  rest  again  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

[Sleeping,  talking  as  in  a  dream.]  Is  that 
you,  Lanceor?  .  .  .  How  sweet  your  lips  are 
at  the  breath  of  dawn!  ...  I  sink  beneath 
the  flowers  that  fall  from  paradise  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

Faithful    in    sleep    and    constant    in    her 
dreams!  .  .   .  The  demons  of  the  night  will 
steal  nothing  from  the  love  that  fills  the  past 
70 


Joyzelle 

and  future  of  a  heart !  .  .  .  Ah,  my  master 
and  father!  ...  It  is  she  whom  your  only 
hope  awaited,  in  vain,  to  avert  the  fate  that 
threatens  your  old  age!  ...  O  master,  if 
you  be  willing,  there  is  yet  time ;  and  happi- 
ness is  here:  you  have  but  to  gather  it!  .  .  . 
It  sways  uncertain  between  your  son  and  you ; 
a  gesture  would  be  enough  to  fix  it  upon  our- 
selves .  .  .  Come  hither,  she  is  yours !  .  .  . 
Come,  come,  come,  I  am  calling  you  ...  I 
know  that  I  am  right  and  that  man  must  not 
renounce  life  and  ruin  himself  to  save  those 
whom  he  loves  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

[In  the  distance,  in  a  voice  of  grave  re- 
proach.] Arielle!  .  .  . 

[He  enters,  wrapped  in  a  long  cloak.} 

ARIELLE 

I  am  speaking  for  you  and  my  voice  is 
your  voice  ...  I  speak  in  the  name  of  your 
heart,  which  loves  deeply  and  dares  not  con- 
fess it  ...  You  had,  at  this  prescribed 
moment,  to  meet  that  sleeping  woman,  in 


Joyzelle 

order  to  avoid  one  who  will  destroy  your  old 
age    ... 

MERLIN 

Begone,  it  is  too  late    .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

No,  it  is  not  too  late ;  this  is  the  one  mo- 
ment ;  and  your  destiny  depends  on  the  move- 
ment which  you  make  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Begone,  do  not  tempt  me,  or  I  will  plunge 
you  back  into  your  impotent  shade  ...  I 
drew  you  from  it  to  open  my  eyes  and  not  to 
mislead  me  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

To  listen  to  the  instinct  by  which  alone 
men  are  saved  is  not  to  be  misled  .  .  .  Think 
of  the  terrible  days  which  Viviane  is  prepar- 
ing: Viviane,  whom  you  must  love  if  you  do 
not  love  this  one  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Viviane?  ...  Is  it  in  this  life  or  in  some 
other  world  that  that  name  resounds  within 
72 


Joyzelle 

my  secret  heart  like  a  name  of  madness,  sor- 
row and  shame?  .  .  . 


ARIELLE 

No,  It  is  in  this  life,  the  only  one  that  you 
possess  ...  It  is  the  name  of  the  fairy 
who,  in  Broceliande,  where  your  fate  leads 
you,  awaits  your  coming  to  shatter  your 
old  age  .  .  .  O  master,  I  see  her !  .  .  . 
Have  a  care,  she  approaches  and  will  win  your 
heart!  ...  So  soon  as  this  love,  so  pure,  so 
healthful,  shall  have  lost  its  claims,  hers 
crawls  out  of  the  shadow  .  .  .  Master,  I  en- 
treat you !  .  .  .  My  eyes  are  counting  her 
wiles:  she  entwines  you  with  her  arms  which 
travesty  love;  she  takes  away  your  power, 
your  reason,  your  wisdom ;  she  snatches  from 
you  at  last  the  secret  of  your  strength ;  and, 
like  an  old,  drunken  man,  you  fall  to  the 
ground  .  .  .  Then  she  strips  you,  mocks  at 
you,  stands  erect  again  and  closes  on  us  the 
door  of  the  mortal  cavern  which  will  never 
open  again  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

It  is  inevitable,  then?  .   .  . 
73 


Joyzelle 

ARIELLE 

You  know  as  I  do,  that  nothing  can  deceive 
me  where  you  are  concerned  .  .  .  Master,  I 
beseech  you,  both  for  yourself  and  for  me, 
who  love  the  light  and  who  must  lose  it  with 
you !  .  .  .  This  is  the  irrevocable  hour !  .  .  . 
Choose,  choose  life!  ...  It  still  offers  itself 
and  therefore  it  belongs  to  us,  and  you  have 
a  right  to  it !  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Begone,  it  is  useless  .  .  .  Besides,  this  one 
would  never  have  loved  me  ... 

ARIELLE 

It  is  enough  that  you  love  her  and  that  he 
whom  she  loves  no  longer  stands  between  you 
.  .  .  That  is  what  I  read  in  the  two  fu- 
tures .  .  . 

MERLIN 

[Wipmg  the  sweat  of  anguish  from  his 
brow.]  Begone,  for  I  know  .  .  .  And  so  it 
was  written  that,  by  loving  this  child,  I  could 
have  saved  myself  .  .  .  But  she  is  not  for 
me;  and  my  hour  is  past  .  .  .  This  is  the 

74 


Joyzelle 

hour  of  those  who  come  and  who  have  met  as 
time  ordained,  as  life  ordained  .  .  .  Begone, 
begone,  I  say !  .  .  . 

[ARIELLE,    veilmg    her    features,    exit 
silently.] 

I  surrender  my  share ;  and  it  is  for  you,  my 
son,  that  I  complete  the  proof  .  .  .  [He 
takes  off  his  cloak  and  appears  tatter  and 
younger,  dressed  in  clothes  similar  to  LANCE- 
OR'S  and  presenting  a  strange  resemblance 
to  him.  Approaching  JOYZELLE.]  Ah,  my 
innocent  Joyzelle!  .  .  .  You  will  suffer  too, 
you  must  suffer  still  more,  since  destiny  lies 
hidden  in  your  tears ;  but  what  matter 
the  sorrows  that  lead  to  love?  ...  I  would 
gladly  exchange  all  the  joys  that  I  have 
known  in  my  poor  life  for  the  most 
cruel  of  those  happy  sorrows  .  .  .  [He  leans 
over  JOYZELLE.]  Ariclle  spoke  truly.  I 
have  but  to  make  a  movement  to  put  back  the 
hours  and  the  days  and  thus  escape  the  horri- 
ble end  which  fate  reserves  for  me  .  .  .  Yes, 
but  that  movement  destroys  him  whom  I  love 
more  than  myself,  him  whom  the  years  have 

75 


Joyzelle 

chosen  for  the  love  for  which  I  had  hoped 
.  .  .  Ah,  when  we  thus  hold  in  our  hands  our 
own  happiness  and  that  of  another  man  ;  when 
we  must  crush  one  so  that  the  other  may  sur- 
vive :  it  is  then  that  we  feel  how  deep  are  the 
roots  that  bind  us  to  the  earth  on  which  we 
suffer ;  it  is  then  that  life  utters  a  superhuman 
cry  to  make  itself  heard  and  to  defend  its 
rights  !  .  .  .  But  it  is  then  also  that  we  must 
give  ear  to  the  other  voice  that  speaks,  to 
the  voice  that  has  nothing  definite  or  sure  to 
tell  us,  that  has  nothing  to  promise  and 
that  is  only  a  murmur  more  sacred  than 
life's  inarticulate  cries  .  .  .  Lanceor  and 
Joyzelle,  love  each  other,  love  me,  for  I  have 
loved  you  ...  I  am  weak  and  frail  and 
made  for  happiness  like  other  men;  nor  do 
I  surrender  my  share  without  a  struggle 
.  .  .  Love  each  other,  my  children ;  I  am 
listening  to  the  little  voice  which  has  nothing 
to  tell  me,  but  which  alone  is  right  .  .  .  [He 
kneels  before  JOYZELLE  and  kisses  her  on  the 
forehead.] 

JOYZELLE 
{Waking  with  a  start.]    Lance*or!  .  .  . 

76 


Joyzelle 

MEELIN 

Yes,  it  is  I :  the  darkness  has  led  me  to  you ; 
and  I  come  to  wake  you  with  a  new  kiss,  so 
that  you  may  .  .  . 


JOYZELLE 

[Springing  up  and  looking  at  him  m  ter- 
ror.] Who  are  you?  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

[Putting  out  his  arms  to  embrace  her.] 
You  know  who  I  am,  Joyzelle,  and  love  must 
tell  you  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

[Drawing  back  violently.]  Ah,  do  not 
touch  me,  or  I  shall  summon  death  to  come 
to  put  an  end  to  this  horrible  dream!  .  .  . 
I  know  not  what  phantoms  have  haunted  this 
night,  but  this  is  the  vilest,  the  basest,  the 
most  cowardly  that  the  darkness  has  sent! 
...  I  do  not  believe  in  it  yet!  ...  I  am 
bruising  my  eyes  in  trying  to  awake  my- 
self! .  .  .  Ah,  do  not  come  near  me!  .  .  . 

77 


Joyzelle 

Back!  .  .  .  Begone!  .  .  .  You  fill  me  with 
horror !  .  .  . 


MEKLIN 

Look  at  me,  Joyzelle!  ...  I  do  not 
understand  you ;  and  doubtless  sleep  still 
troubles  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Where  is  he?  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Wake,  Joyzelle    .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Where  is  he  and  what  have  you  done  with 
him?  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

He  is  wherever  I  am ;  and,  if  your  eyes  mis- 
lead you  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Do  you  not  know  that  I  carry  him  here,  in 
these  eyes  which  see  you  and  compare  what 
he  is  with  what  you  are?  .  .  .  Have  you  not 
seen  what  he  is  in  my  heart,  that  you  should 

78 


Joyzelle 

copy  him  thus?  .  .  .  You,  beside  him;  you, 
in  his  clothes  and  under  his  aspect:  ah,  it  is 
as  though  death  pretended  to  be  life!  .  .  . 
But  there  might  be  twenty  thousand  of  you 
resembling  him  and  he  alone  be  changed  from 
what  he  was  yesterday ;  and  I  would  sweep 
away  the  twenty  thousand  phantoms,  to  go 
to  the  only  man  who  is  not  a  dream  among 
the  other  dreams !  .  .  .  Oh,  do  not  try  to  hide 
in  the  shadow  .  .  .  You  retreat  too  late ;  I 
have  discovered  you  and  I  know  who  you  are 
...  I  know  your  spells ;  and  how  I  should 
laugh  at  them,  did  I  not  fear  that,  by  your 
witchcraft,  when  usurping  that  dear  and  un- 
recognisable shape,  you  have  caused  him  to 
suffer!  .  .  .  What  have  you  done  to  him? 
.  .  .  Where  is  he?  ...  I  will  know  .  .  . 
You  shall  not  go  without  answering  .  .  . 
[Seizing  MERLIN'S  hand.}  I  am  alone,  I  am 
weak  .  .  .  But  I  insist,  I  insist  ...  I  will 
know,  I  will  know !  .  .  . 


MERLIN 

I  love  you  too  much,  Joyzelle,  to  do  him 
any  harm,  so  long  as  you  love  him    .  .  .  He 

79 


Joyzelle 

has  therefore  nothing  to  fear  .  .  .  Do  you 
not  fear  me  either.  I  am  not  here  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  darkness  and  surprise  your 
heart.  I  had  another  object  .  .  .  Listen  to 
me,  Joyzelle;  it  is  no  longer  the  rival  or  the 
unhappy  lover  that  speaks  to  you ;  it  is  a 
prudent  and  anxious  father  .  .  .  Before  he 
came  who  conquered  you,  as  never  man  in  this 
world  conquered  woman,  I  had,  I  confess, 
caught  a  glimpse  of  a  happiness  which  it  is 
idle  to  pursue  in  the  decline  of  years  .  .  . 
To-day  I  retire,  sadly,  but  in  good  faith  .  .  . 
I  know  how  much  you  love  the  poor  uncon- 
scious being  whom  malevolent  chance  has 
placed  upon  your  road  .  .  .  And  do  not 
mistake  me;  I  am  speaking  of  him  now  with- 
out hatred  or  envy,  but  not  without  dismay, 
when  I  think  of  the  heart-rending  days  which 
he  is  preparing  for  you  .  .  .  That  is  why  I 
insist  on  enlightening  you  as  regards  him,  at 
the  risk  of  displeasing  you  ...  I  have  no 
other  care  than  to  make  you  turn  away  from 
an  unhappy  love  in  which  nothing  but  tears 
and  disillusion  await  you  ...  I  have  no 
hope  for  myself  ...  I  do  not  ask  you  to 
love  me  in  his  stead  .  .  .  You  have  shown  me 
80 


Joyzelle 

fully  that  that  is  impossible  ...  I  desire 
only  that  you  will  cease  to  love  him:  that  is 
all  that  I  implore  of  the  kindness  of  fate; 
and  fate  to-night  hears  my  prayer  .  .  . 


JOYZELLE 
How?  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

The  proof  is  grave  and  sad ;  I  would  have 
liked  to  spare  you  .  .  .  But  you  know  better 
than  I  that  there  are  salutary  sufferings, 
before  which  it  is  shameful  to  fly  ...  A 
sign  will  be  enough  to  overturn  a  world 
...  A  little  movement  of  that  neck  which 
as  yet  bends  without  anxiety,  a  single  glance 
of  those  eyes,  too  confident  and  too  full  of  in- 
nocence, will  destroy  before  my  sight  the  most 
beautiful  thing  that  love  has  created  in  a 
woman's  heart  .  .  .  And  yet,  it  must  be 
...  It  is  right,  it  is  well  that  this  thing 
should  to-day  be  lost  in  tears  which  it  may 
yet  be  possible  to  wipe  away ;  for  later  it 
would  have  had  to  sink  in  sorrows  which 
nothing  could  have  consoled  .  .  . 
81 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 

What  do  you  mean  ?  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

That,  at  this  very  moment,  when  all  that  Is 
spotless  and  true,  limpid  and  ardent  in  your 
heart,  when  all  the  transparent  virtues  of 
your  soul,  all  the  faithfulness,  all  the  loyalty 
and  all  the  innocence  of  your  virgin  blood 
mount  up  towards  him  whom  you  had  selected 
to  make  of  him  the  purest,  the  happiest  of 
men,  he  is  there,  behind  us,  at  two  steps  from 
this  bank,  sheltered  by  those  leaves  which 
he  thinks  impenetrable,  in  the  arms  of  the 
woman  with  whom,  the  other  day,  as  you 
yourself  saw,  he  profaned  the  marvellous 
love  which  you  have  given  him !  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 
No. 

MERLIN 

Why  do  you  say  no,  without  looking?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Because  he  is  myself    .   .  . 
82 


Joyzelle 

MERLIN 

I  do  not  ask  you  to  believe  my  words :  I 
simply  ask  you  to  turn  your  head  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

No. 

MERLIN 

Do  you  hear  the  murmur  of  their  voices 
mingling  and  the  song  of  kisses  answering 
kisses?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

No. 

MERLIN 

Do  not  raise  your  voice  to  interrupt  a 
crime  which  you  do  not  wish  to  see  .  .  . 
They  will  not  hear  you ;  they  listen  only  to 
the  sound  of  their  lips!  .  .  .  But  turn, 
Joyzelle,  I  beseech  you !  .  .  .  Your  life  is  at 
stake  and  all  the  happiness  to  which  you  have 
a  right!  .  .  .  Do  not  reject  the  proffered 
truth  that  comes  to  save  you  if  you  have  the 
courage  at  last  to  accept  it !  It  will  not  re- 
turn except  to  make  you  weep,  when  it  is 

83 


Joyzelle 

too  late!  .  .  .  But  look!  Look!  .  .  .  You 
need  not  even  turn  your  head!  .  .  .  Your 
star  is  kind  to  you  and  does  not  tire!  .  .  . 
Do  not  close  your  eyes,  it  is  coming  to  un- 
seal them!  .  .  .  See!  .  .  .  The  shadow  of 
their  arms,  lengthened  by  the  moonlight,  is 
creeping  through  that  arch  and  covering 
your  knees !  .  .  .  Open  your  eyes !  Look ! 
...  It  is  coming  to  defy  you,  it  is  rising  to 
your  lips!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

No. 

[A  pause.'} 

MERLIN 

I  understand  you,  Joyzelle  .  .  .  You  must 
not  deny  what  remains  of  your  love  while  I 
am  here  ...  I  leave  you  to  yourself,  face 
to  face  with  your  duty,  face  to  face  with  your 
destiny  .  .  .  Such  sacrifices  ask  for  no  wit- 
nesses: they  demand  silence  .  .  .  The  truth 
is  there;  it  is  cowardly  to  fly  from  it  ... 
You  will  know  how  to  face  it  when  you  are 
alone  .  .  .  There  is  yet  time  ...  I  ad- 
mire you,  Joyzelle.  .  .  .  Your  life  and  your 
84 


Joyzelle 

happiness  invoke  your  courage  and  depend 
upon  a  glance    .  .   . 

[Exit  MERLIN.  JOYZELLE,  for  a  long 
moment,  remains  seated  on  the  bank, 
motionless,  with  -wide-open  eyes, 
staring  fixedly  before  her.  Then 
she  rises,  draws  herself  up  and  goes 
out  slowly,  without  turning  her 
head.~\ 


CURTAIN 


ACT    IV 

'A  Room  in  the  Palace 

(At  the  back,  to  the  right,  is  a  large  marble 
bed,  on  which  LANCEOR  is  lying  lifeless. 
JOYZELLE,  anxious,  dishevelled,  is  busy- 
ing herself  around  him.) 

•      JOYZELLE 

Lanceor!  Lanceor!  .  .  .  He  cannot  hear 
me  ...  His  eyes  are  wide  open  .  .  . 
Lanceor,  I  am  here,  I  am  bending  over  your 
eyes  .  .  .  Look  at  me,  look  at  me !  .  .  .  No, 
he  does  not  see  me!  .  .  .  Lanceor,  for  pity's 
sake !  ...  If  your  voice  is  too  weak,  give  a 
sign  of  life !  .  .  .  I  take  you  in  my  arms,  my 
arms  that  love  you !  .  .  .  Come,  come,  come 
to  yourself,  in  our  great  love!  .  .  .  See,  see, 
it  is  my  hands  that  are  lifting  your  head 
.  .  .  Do  you  recognise  my  hands,  as  they 
stroke  your  hair?  .  .  .  You  so  often  told 
me,  when  we  were  happy,  that  the  least 
86 


Joyzelle 

caress  of  these  dear  hands  would  recall 
your  soul,  even  from  the  greatest  happiness 
of  paradise,  from  the  greatest  darkness  of 
.  .  .  No,  no,  it  is  not  there!  .  .  .  But  his 
head  is  drooping,  his  arm  falls  back  lifeless 
and  his  fingers  seem  to  me  colder  than  this 
marble  .  .  .  [Mechanically  feeling  one  of  the 
columns  of  the  bed.]  No,  it  is  not  that 
.  .  .  But  I  must  know  .  .  .  And  his  eyes 
are  no  longer  .  .  .  [Raising  his  head.]  Is 
it  his  or  mine  that  are  so  dim?  .  .  .  No,  it  is 
impossible !  .  .  .  No,  no,  I  will  not  have  it ! 
Ah,  I  will  open  your  lips !  .  .  .  [She  places 
her  lips  on  LANCEOR'S.]  Lanceor!  Lanceor! 
All  the  ardour  of  my  life  shall  enter 
your  heart!  .  .  .  Do  not  fear,  do  not  fear! 
It  is  the  saving  flame  and  life  that  re- 
stores life!  .  .  .  Breathe  it  all  in  the  last 
efforts  of  my  breath  which  loves  you !  .  .  .  I 
would  gladly  suffocate  in  exchanging  my  life 
for  yours !  .  .  .  I  give  you  my  strength,  my 
hours,  rny  years !  .  .  .  Here  they  are,  here 
they  are!  .  .  .  You  have  but  to  make  a 
movement,  to  open  your  lips !  ...  It  must 
be  so !  ...  It  must  be  possible  thus  to  give 
new  life  to  those  whom  we  love  better  than 

87 


Joyzelle 

ourselves !  .  .  .  When  we  give  them  all,  they 
cannot  but  take  it!  ...  [Raising  her  head 
to  look  at  LANCEOR.]  He  is  falling  back! 
He  is  going  from  me!  .  .  .  [Infatuated,  she 
takes  him  in  her  arms  again.]  Help !  .  .  . 
No,  this  is  too  much!  .  .  .  Help!  Hasten! 
Hasten  !  .  .  .  Ah  no,  I  know  better,  no,  no,  it 
is  not  that  .  .  .  Death  does  not  come  like 
this  when  love  threatens  it!  ...  No,  no,  I 
fear  nothing,  no,  no,  I  will  not  have  it !  ... 
But  I  am  crying  for  help !  I  cannot  remain 
alone,  I  cannot  fight  alone  against  all  the 
strength  of  death  approaching !  ...  If  no 
one  comes,  it  will  end  by  conquering!  .  .  . 
Help,  I  say !  .  .  .  You  must  come  to  my  aid ! 
.  .  .  Life  must  help  me,  or  it  is  no  longer 
possible  and  we  shall  succumb !  .  .  .  [She 
falls  sobbing  on  LANCEOR'S  lifeless  body.\ 

[Enter  MERLIN.] 

MERLIN 

I  am  here,  Joyzelle    .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

[Starting  up,  as  though  to  go  to  him, 


Joyzelle 

while  still  holding  LANCEOE  in  a  close  em- 
brace.] Ah,  it  is  you!  ...  So  it  is  you! 
.  .  .  At  last  there  is  help  and  life  coming! 
.  .  .  Look  at  him!  See!  ...  It  is  time,  he 
is  falling  back!  ...  I  fling  myself  at  your 
feet!  .  .  .  Yes,  yes,  you  can  do  all;  and  I 
have  seen  clear  in  all  things !  .  .  .  Ah,  at 
such  moments  as  this,  one  would  see  clear  in 
the  depths  of  a  darkness  which  worlds  have 
never  traversed !  .  .  .  Oh,  I  entreat  you,  tell 
me  what  to  do !  ...  I  am  no  longer  Joy- 
zelle, I  am  no  longer  fierce  and  I  have  no  more 
pride  ...  I  am  broken  and  dead:  I  drag 
myself  at  your  feet ;  and  it  is  no  more  a  ques- 
tion of  this  or  that,  of  love  or  kisses,  or  of 
trifling  things !  .  .  .  Life  and  death  stand 
face  to  face,  they  are  fighting  under  our 
eyes  and  must  be  separated  .  .  .  You  do  not 
move  a  step !  .  .  .  Ah,  I  know  how  great 
your  hatred  is  and  how  you  detest  that  de- 
fenceless man  .  .  .  Yes,  you  are  right,  he  is 
anything  you  please,  he  is  a  coward,  he  is  a 
rascal,  he  is  your  enemy,  he  is  a  twenty-fold 
traitor,  since  you  will  have  it  so !  .  .  .  Yes, 
I  admit  it,  I  was  wrong,  I  confess  it,  and  I 
no  longer  love  him,  since  you  wish  it,  and  I 

89 


Joyzelle 

am  ready  for  anything,  provided  he  be  saved ! 
.  .  .  But  that  must  be  done  and  that  counts 
and  all  the  rest  is  madness !  .  .  .  But  come, 
come,  come,  I  tell  you  death  is  triumphing 
and  will  carry  him  off!  .  .  .  See,  his  hands 
are  turning  blue  and  his  eyes  are  growing 
dull  and  it  is  horrible !  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Joyzelle,  fear  nothing;  his  life  is  in  my 
hands  and  I  will  save  him,  if  you  wish  me  to 
save  him  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

If  I  wish  you  to  save  him !  .  .  .  But  do 

you  not  see  that,  if  you  were  to  hesitate,  do 
you  not  know  that,  if  for  his  sake,  I  had  to 
.  .  .  No,  no,  I  meant  to  say  .  .  .  my  distress 
bewilders  me  .  .  .  He  has  ceased  to  breathe, 
I  no  longer  hear  his  heart  .  .  .  You  seem  to 
me  so  slow !  .  .  .  Do  you  think  that  there  is 
no  danger,  no  need  for  haste?  ...  I  will 
speak  no  more ;  I  am  making  you  lose  minutes 
which  perhaps  were  passing  to  save  him  .  .  . 
If  you  will  not  help  him  yourself — and  I  can 
understand  that,  for  you  do  not  love  him — 
90 


Joyzelle 

tell  me  only  what  I  must  do  to  assist  him ;  and 
I  shall  know  how  to  do  it  ...  But  I  can 
see,  I  am  sure  that  he  cannot  wait  and  that 
we  must  make  haste  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

I  have  told  you,  Joyzelle,  his  life  is  in  my 
hands  and  cannot  escape  without  my  con- 
sent. I  warned  you  of  it.  The  poison  is 
doing  its  work  and  I  can  see  it.  I  alone  can 
cure  him,  snatch  him  from  death,  call  back  his 
vigour,  his  beauty,  which  are  fading  away, 
and  restore  him  to  you  as  he  was  before  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Ah,  I  entreat  you,  do  not  dally  thus!  .  .  . 
What  is  his  beauty  to  me,  if  his  life  escapes 
us !  ...  Give  him  back  to  me  as  he  is,  what- 
ever he  may  be ;  what  care  I,  if  only  I  have 
him  back,  if  only  he  breathes!  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Yes,  I  will  give  him  back  to  you.  I  have 
already  twice  done — and  each  time  repented 
— what  I  will  do  again  for  the  last  time,  since 
you  ask  it:  but  it  is  a  sacrifice  which  none 


Joyzelle 

but  you  could  have  obtained.  By  restoring 
his  life,  I  risk  my  own.  To  rouse  his  strength, 
to  recall  his  soul,  I  must  give  him  a  part  of 
my  strength,  a  part  of  my  soul.  It  may 
be  that  he  will  take  from  me  more  than  I  have 
left  and  that  I  shall  fall  dead  beside  the  rival 
whom  I  shall  have  restored  to  life  .  .  .  Time 
was  when  I  would  thus  risk  my  existence  to 
save  a  stranger  by  the  wayside,  almost  with- 
out hesitating  and  without  asking  anything 
in  exchange  .  .  .  But  to-day  I  am  more 
prudent  and  more  wise.  As  I  am  offering  my 
life,  it  is  but  fair  that  I  should  be  paid  for  it 
and  paid  in  advance ;  and  I  will  give  it  to  him 
only  if  you  promise  me  the  dearest  moment  of 
your  own  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

How?  .  .  .  What  am  I  to  do?  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

[Aside. .]  O  poor  and  all  too  innocent  child ! 
.  .  .  And  you,  my  chaste  thoughts,  oh,  take 
no  part  in  the  odious  words  which  my  voice 
must  now  spread  around  their  love!  ...  I 
blush  at  the  proof  and  am  ashamed  of  what  I 
92 


Joyzelle 

am  now  compelled  to  say  .  .  .  You  will  for- 
give me  when  you  know  all  ...  It  is  not 
I  that  speak :  it  is  the  future,  which  man 
ought  not  to  know,  the  shameless,  pitiless  fu- 
ture, which  reveals  a  day  and  throws  light 
upon  a  destiny  only  to  conceal  the  rest  and 
which  wishes  that  I  should  know  whether  you 
are  she  whom  it  marks  out  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

What  are  you  saying?  .  .  .  Why  do  you 
hesitate?  .  .  .  There  is  nothing  in  the  world; 
examine  myself  as  I  may,  I  see  nothing  in  the 
world,  in  our  world  or  in  the  other,  that  I 
could  be  asked  and  not  be  ready  to  ... 

MERLIN 

See:  I  will  cease  talking  in  riddles  .  .  . 
That  man  whom  you  see  and  whom  you  hold 
pressed  in  your  arms  lies  stretched  as  near 
death  as  though  he  were  laid  on  the  slab 
of  his  tomb  ...  A  movement  can  bring  him 
back  to  life;  a  movement  can  make  him  fall 
on  the  other  side  .  .  .  Well,  at  the  very  mo- 
ment when  you  say  yes  and  before  the  echo 
which  slumbers  yonder  under  those  marble 

93 


Joyzelle 

vaults  has  time  to  repeat  that  you  have  con- 
sented, I  will  make  the  certain  movement 
which  will  snatch  him  from  the  darkness,  pro- 
vided that  you  promise  to  come  to-night, 
here,  in  this  room  in  which  I  shall  restore 
him  to  you  and  on  this  same  bed  over  which 
you  are  leaning,  to  give  yourself  to  me,  with- 
out shame,  without  reserve  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 
I?  ...  Give  myself  to  you?  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Yes. 

JOYZELLE 

I,  give  myself  to  you,  when  he  is  restored 
to  me?  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

So  that  he  may  be  restored  to  you. 

JOYZELLE 

No,  I  have  not  understood  .  .  .  There  are 
words,  no  doubt,  which  I  do  not  understand 
.  .  .  No,  it  is  not  possible  that  a  man  who  is 
not  one  of  the  princes  of  hell  should  come 
thus,  at  the  moment  when  all  love's  sorrow 

94 


Joyzelle 

knows  not  what  to  hope  for  or  what  to  un- 
dertake .  .  .  No,  I  have  mistaken  you  and 
am  doing  you  an  injury  .  .  .  You  must 
forgive  me;  I  am  a  virgin,  I  am  ignorant, 
I  do  not  quite  know  what  those  words  imply 
.  .  .  But  I  see  now  .  .  .  Yes,  you  are  right 
.  .  .  Yes,  yes,  you  mean  to  say  that  it  is 
fair  that  I  should  bear  a  share  of  the  danger 
and  that  my  life  should  be  joined  for  a  mo- 
ment to  yours,  in  order  to  create  the  other  life 
which  is  to  revive  him  .  .  .  But  I  want  that 
share,  I  want  it  for  myself  alone,  I  want  the 
whole  of  it,  the  greatest  possible  share,  and 
I  never  hoped  that  it  could  be  given  me !  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Joyzelle,  time  presses  .  .  .  Do  not  seek 
elsewhere:  you  know  what  I  am  asking  and 
the  word  means  all  that  you  dare  not  be- 
lieve .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Then,  at  the  very  moment  when  he  comes 
back  to  me,  when  I  see  him  once  more  breath- 
ing in  my  arms  and  smiling  at  the  love  which 
he  will  have  found  again,  I  shall  have  to 

95 


Joyzelle 

snatch  from  him  all  that  I  have  given?  .  .  . 
But  what  remains  for  him  if  you  take  every- 
thing from  us ;  and  what  shall  I  tell  him  when 
he  kisses  me?  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

You  will  tell  him  nothing,  if  you  wish  for 
his  happiness    .   .  . 

JOYZELLE 

But  I  must  tell  him  everything,  since  I 
love  him !  .  .  .  No,  no,  I  can  see  clearly,  that 
cannot  be,  that  does  not  exist ;  and  there  must 
be  gods  or  demons  to  prevent  such  things :  if 
not,  I  cannot  see  why  one  should  wish  to  live 
...  I  have  confidence  in  them,  I  have  confi- 
dence in  you  ...  It  was  only  a  proof;  and 
all  this  is  not,  cannot  be  real  ...  It  seems 
to  me  that  already  you  look  at  me  with  less 
ill-will  .  .  .  See,  I  beseech  you,  I  throw 
myself  at  your  feet  and  kiss  your  hands 
...  I  will  confess  all  to  you  ...  I  did 
not  love  you,  you  hated  him  too  much ;  but  I 
never  believed  that  you  were  unjust  or  un- 
worthy of  love  .  .  .  When  you  came  in,  I 
did  not  hesitate,  I  went  up  to  you,  I  asked 
96 


Joyzelle 

you  to  snatch  from  death  the  only  man  I 
love;  and  yet  I  knew  that  you  loved  me  too 
.  .  .  But,  I  do  not  know  why,  my  instinct 
told  me  that  you  were  generous  and  capable 
of  doing  what  I  would  have  done  for  you, 
what  he  himself  would  have  done;  and,  when 
you  have  done  what  we  would  have  done,  you 
shall  have  in  our  hearts  a  part  of  our  love 
that  is  not  the  least  good  part,  nor  the 
least  fine,  nor  the  most  perishable  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Yes,  I  know:  when  I  have  given  him  baclc 
his  life,  at  the  risk  of  my  own,  he  will  have 
the  kisses,  the  lips  and  the  eyes,  the  days 
and  nights,  all,  in  short,  that  forms  love's 
vain  and  ephemeral  happiness !  .  .  .  But  I, 
I  shall  have  something  much  better ;  and  some- 
times, by  chance,  in  passing,  I  shall  be 
vouchsafed  a  kindly  smile,  which  will  not 
perish,  provided  that  I  refrain  from  demand- 
ing it  too  often  .  .  .  No,  Joyzelle,  at  my 
age  we  are  no  longer  satisfied  with  illusions 
of  that  kind  nor  with  those  deceptive  dregs. 
The  hour  of  heroic  falsehoods  is  past  for  me. 
I  wish  to  have  what  he  will  have.  I  care  little 

97 


Joyzelle 

for  your  smile,  which  I  know  to  be  impossible : 
I  want  yourself ;  I  want  you  absolutely,  were 
it  only  for  a  moment;  but  I  shall  have  that 
moment:  he  will  give  it  me  ...  [Ap- 
proaching LANCEOE.]  Look  at  him,  Joy- 
zelle :  his  features  are  becoming  distorted ;  we 
have  waited  too  long  and  the  danger  in- 
creases with  each  minute  that  passes  .  .  . 
Will  you  come  ?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

[Casting  a  bewildered  glance  around  her.] 
Nothing  bursts,  nothing  falls  and  I  am 
alone  in  the  world!  .  .  . 

MEELIN 

[Feeling  LANCEOE'S  body.~\  The  danger  is 
becoming  grave.  ...  I  know  the  symp- 
toms .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Well,  then,  yes,  I  will  come!  ...  I  will 
come  to-night !  I  will  come  this  evening !  .  .  . 
But  save  him  first  and  restore  him  to  life! 
.  .  .  See,  his  eyes  are  hollowing  and  his 
lips  are  fading  and  I  stand  here  bargain- 
98 


Joyzelle 

ing  for  his  life,  as  though  it  were  a  ques- 
tion of  . 


MERLIN 

He  shall  be  restored  to  you ;  but  remember, 
Joyzelle,  if  you  are  not  true  to  your  promise, 
the  hand  that  cures  him  will  strike  him 
mercilessly  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

But  I  shall  be  true  to  it  and  I  would  go  on 
my  knees  to  the  end  of  the  other  world  to 
remain  true  to  it!  .  .  .  Ah,  I  will  come,  I 
tell  you !  I  give  myself  absolutely  and  I  am 
wholly  yours !  .  .  .  What  more  do  you 
want?  ...  I  have  nothing  left!  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

It  is  well ;  I  have  your  promise ;  I  will  fulfill 
mine.  .  .  .  [Aside,  taking  LANCEOR  in  his 
arms.]  Forgive  me,  my  son,  in  the  name  of 
your  destiny,  which  demands  this  torture 
.  .  .  [He  leans  over  LAXCEOII  mid  presses  a 
long  kiss  on  his  eyelids  and  lips.  Aloud.~\ 
See,  he  returns  from  the  regions  without 
light  .  .  .  Life  is  restored  to  him,  but  he 

99 


Joyzelle 

will  awake  only  in  your  eager  arms.    I  leave 
you  to  your  work.   Remember  your  word   .  .  . 

[Exit  MERLIN.  JOYZELLE  has  taken 
LANCEOR  in  her  arms  and  looks  at 
him  in  anguish.  Soon  her  lover's 
eyes  half  open  and  his  hands  move 
feebly.] 

JOYZELLE 

Lanceor!  .  .  .  His  eyes  have  opened  and 
closed  again  and  I  saw  the  light  bathe  in 
their  blue!  And  here  are  his  hands,  which 
seem  to  seek  mine !  .  .  .  Here  they  are, 
Lanceor,  here  they  are  in  your  own,  which 
are  no  longer  frozen!  .  .  .  They  dare  not 
leave  them,  lest  they  should  lose  them;  and 
yet  I  would  support  your  shoulder  and  em- 
brace your  neck  which  droops  upon  my 
breast  .  .  .  Ah,  all  the  good  things  are  re- 
turning and  returning  together !  .  .  .  I  hear 
his  heart  beat,  I  breathe  his  breath:  they 
took  all  away  from  me,  but  they  have  given 
it  all  back!  .  .  .  Listen  to  me,  Lanceor:  I 
want  to  see  you,  I  am  looking  for  your 
face,  do  not  hide  your  forehead  in  my  hair, 
100 


Joyzelle 

which  loves  you;  my  eyes  love  you  still 
more  and  want  their  share  too!  .  .  .  [LAN- 
CEOR  lifts  his  head  a  little.]  Oh,  he  has  heard 
me  and  listened  to  me!  .  .  .  He  is  here,  he 
is  here,  there  is  no  doubt  of  it  now,  he  is 
here,  before  me,  more  living  than  life!  .  .  . 
He  is  here  before  me;  and  the  roses  of  dawn 
and  the  flowers  of  awakening  have  brought 
colour  to  his  cheeks  and  are  covering  his 
smile,  for  he  smiles  already  as  though  he  saw 
me!  ...  Ah,  the  gods  are  too  good!  .  .  . 
They  have  pity  on  men  !  .  .  .  There  are  skies 
that  open !  There  are  gods  of  love !  There 
are  gods  of  life !  .  .  .  We  must  thank  them 
and  love  one  another,  since  they  also  love! 
.  .  .  Come,  come,  come  to  my  arms ;  your 
eyes  still  seek  me,  but  your  lips  find  me  .  .  . 
They  open  at  last  to  call  to  mine ;  and  mine 
are  here,  carrying  all  love!  .  .  . 

[A   pause;   she  kisses  him  long  and 
eagerly. ~\ 

LANCEOR 
[Recovering  consciousness.]  Joyzelle.  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Yes,   yes,   it   is   I,   it   is   I;   look    at   me, 
101 


Joyzelle 

look!  .  .  .  Here  are  my  hands,  my  forehead, 
my  hair,  my  shoulder.  .  .  .  And  here  are  my 
kisses,  which  yours  recognise!  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Yes,  it  is  you,  it  is  indeed  you,  it  is  you 
and  the  light  .  .  .  And  then  this  room,  too, 
which  I  saw  before.  .  .  .  Wait  a  little  .  .  . 
What  happened  to  me?  ...  I  remember,  I 
remember  ...  I  was  lying  yonder,  yonder, 
I  know  not  where,  before  great  doors  which 
some  one  was  trying  to  open  ...  I  was 
buried  and  was  turning  cold  .  .  .  And  then 
I  called  to  you,  I  called  without  ceasing  and 
you  did  not  come  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

But  I  did,  I  came,  I  was  there,  I  was 
there!  .  .  . 

LANCEOE 

No,  you  were  not  there  ...  I  was  seized 
with  icy  coldness,  I  was  seized  with  darkness 
and  I  was  losing  my  life  .  .  .  But  now  it  is 
you!  .  .  .  Yes,  yes,  my  eyes  see  you,  they 
behold  you  suddenly  as  they  emerge  from  the 
1 02 


Joyzelle 

dark  .  .  .  Scared  though  they  be  by  the 
glaring  light,  it  is  you  they  see  and  I  am 
passing  from  the  tomb  to  the  joy  of  the 
sunlight  in  the  arms  of  love!  That  seems 
impossible  to  one  coming  from  so  far!  .  .  . 
I  must  touch  you,  I  must  cling  to  the  caresses 
of  your  hands,  to  the  light  of  your  eyes,  I 
must  seize  the  real  gold  of  the  hair  that 
bears  witness  to  the  daylight !  .  .  .  Oh,  you 
could  never  believe  how  one  loves  when  dying, 
nor  how  I  mean  to  love  you  after  losing  you 
and  finding  you  again!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 
I  too ;  I  too !  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

And  the  joy  of  returning  to  the  arms  which 
press  you  and  which  still  tremble,  because 
they  had  ceased  to  hope!  .  .  .  Do  you  feel 
yours  quiver  and  mine  adore  you?  .  .  .  They 
seek,  they  enlace  one  another,  they  fear  lest 
they  should  lose  one  another,  they  no  longer 
dare  to  open  .  .  .  They  no  longer  obey, 
they  do  not  know  that  they  are  hurting  us 
and  are  like  to  stifle  us  in  their  blind  intoxi- 
103 


Joyzelle 

cation !  .  .  .  Ah,  they  know  at  last  the  worth 
of  clasping  a  glowing  body ;  and  one  would 
die  to  learn  life  and  to  know  love!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 
Yes,  one  would  die    .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

It  is  strange:  when  I  was  down  there,  in 
the  frozen  region,  some  one  approached  whom 
I  thought  I  recognised  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 
It  was  he. 

LANCEOR 

Who? 

JOYZELLE 

The  lord  of  the  island. 

LANCEOR 

He?  .  .  .  But  he  hated  me    .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

It  was  he. 

LANCEOR 

I   do   not   quite   understand    .  .  .  Did  he 
104 


Joyzelle 

then  bring  me  back  to  love,  to  life?  .  .  .  Was 
he  willing  to  restore  me  to  her  who  loved  me 
and  whom  he  loved  himself?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Yes. 

LANCEOR 

But  why  did  he  do  it?  .  .  , 

JOYZELLE 

I  besought  him  until  he  consented. 

LANCEOE 

Did  he  hesitate? 

JOYZELLE 

Yes. 

LANCEOR 

Why? 

JOYZELLE 

He  said  that,  in  saving  your  life,  he  risked 
his  own. 

LANCEOR 

Nothing    compelled    him    to    it    ...  And 
then,  quite  simply,  he  gave  back  life  to  the 
only  man  who  is  taking  away  all  hope  of  the 
105 


Joyzelle 

love  that  would  make  the  happiness  of  his 
life?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Yes. 

LANCEOR 

And  without  asking  anything,  from  kind- 
ness, from  pity,  from  generosity?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Yes. 

LANCEOR 

Ah,  we  were  unjust  and  our  worst  enemies 
are  better  than  we  believe!  .  .  .  There  are 
treasures  of  nobility  and  love  even  in  the 
heart  of  hatred!  .  .  .  And  this  thing  which 
he  has  done!  .  .  .  No,  I  really  do  not  know 
that  I  could  have  done  as  much ;  and  I  would 
never  have  thought  that  that  poor  old  man 
.  .  .  But  is  it  not  almost  incredible,  Joy- 
zelle, and  is  it  not  heroic?  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Yes. 

LANCEOR 

Where  is  he?    We  must  go  and  fling  our- 
106 


Joyzelle 

selves  at  his  feet,  confess  our  error,  wipe  out 
the  injustice  of  which  we  were  guilty  when 
we  did  not  love  him  .  .  .  He  must  have  his 
part  and  the  best  part  of  the  happiness  which 
he  restores  to  us !  ...  He  must  have  our 
hearts,  our  joy,  our  smile  and  our  tears  of 
love,  all  that  one  can  give  to  those  who  give 
all!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

We  will  go,  we  will  go    .  .  . 


LANCEOE 

Joyzelle,  what  is  it?  ...  You  scarcely 
answer  me  ...  I  do  not  know  if  my  senses 
are  still  in  the  power  of  the  night  whence 
I  am  issuing,  but  I  do  not  recognise  your 
words  and  your  movements  .  .  .  You  seem 
to  be  seeking,  doubting,  dreaming  .  .  .  And 
I,  who  return  to  you  full  of  love  and  joy, 
find  so  little  of  either  in  your  eyes,  which 
avoid  me,  in  your  hands,  which  forget  me 
.  .  .  What  has  happened?  .  .  .  Why  recall 
me  and  restore  me  to  life,  if,  during  my 
absence,  I  have  lost  what  I  love?  .  .  . 
107 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 

Oh  no,  no,  Lance"or,  you  have  not  lost 
me!  ... 

LANGUOR 

Your  voice  seeks  a  smile  and  finds  but  a 
sob  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Yes,  I  wanted  to  smile  and  I  am  smiling 
now  .  .  .  But  do  not  be  surprised:  I  have 
wept  so  long  and  so  desperately  that  the 
tears  still  rise  in  spite  of  myself  .  .  .  Joy 
was  so  far  away  that  it  could  not  return  with 
the  first  kisses  ...  It  will  need  many  be- 
fore it  recovers  confidence  in  my  heart ;  and  I 
am  almost  sad  in  the  midst  of  my  hap- 
piness .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

Oh,  my  poor  Joyzelle!  ...  Is  that  what 
your  grave  silence  means?  .  .  .  And  I 
was  distressing  myself  like  a  stupid  child ! 
...  I  am  thinking  only  of  myself,  I  am 
drunk  with  life  and  understand  nothing  .  .  . 
I  was  forgetting  that  in  your  place  I  should 
have  lost  courage  ...  It  is  true,  you  are 
1 08 


Joyzelle 

right,  it  is  you,  not  I,  returning  from  death ; 
and,  when  two  beings  love  as  we  do,  the 
one  that  does  not  die  is  the  only  one  that 
really  dies  .  .  .  Do  not  hide  your  tears 
.  .  .  The  sadder  you  appear,  the  more  I  feel 
that  you  love  me  .  .  .  Now  it  is  for  me  to 
take  care  of  you,  now  it  is  for  me  to  call 
back  your  soul,  to  warm  your  disconcerted 
hands,  to  pursue  your  lips  and  bring  you 
back  to  the  midst  of  the  happiness  which  we 
had  lost  .  .  .  We  shall  soon  be  there,  since 
love  is  our  guide  ...  It  triumphs  over 
everything  when  it  finds  two  hearts  that  give 
themselves  to  it  fearlessly  and  without  re- 
serve .  .  .  All  the  rest  is  nothing,  all  the 
rest  is  forgotten,  all  the  rest  withdraws  to 
make  way  for  love  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

[Staring  -fixedly  before  her.~\  All  the  rest 
withdraws  to  make  way  for  love    .  .  . 


CURTAIN 


109 


ACT   V 

SCENE  I 

TA  Gallery  in  the  Palace 
[Enter  MERLIN  and  LANCEOR.] 

FATHER !  .  .  .  Then  it  is  true  and  you 
are    my     father!  .  .  .  And    indeed    it 
seems    to    me,    since   you    told   me,    as 
though  I  had  always  known  it  in  my  far- 
seeing    heart    .  .  .  [Coming    closer.]      But 
how  wonderful   it  is !  ...   I   see   you  again 
at    last    as    I    saw    you    amid    my    child- 
ish   sports ;    and,    when    I    look    at    you,    I 
see   myself  in   a   graver,   nobler     and   more 
powerful  mirror  than  those  which  reflect  my 
features    along    this    room.     But    what    will 
Joyzelle  say?  .   .  .  How  she  will  laugh  when 
she    remembers    her    fears,    for    she    imag- 
uo 


Joyzelle 

ined  .  .  .  No,  she  herself  shall  tell  you  what 
she  thought,  to  punish  her  for  her  senseless 
terror  .  .  .  She  used  to  hate  you,  but  with 
a  softened  hatred  that  already  smiled  like  one 
about  to  be  pierced  by  the  rays  of  love  .  .  . 
But  where  is  she  hiding?  ...  I  have  been 
seeking  her  for  nearly  two  hours  in  vain 
.  .  .  Have  you  seen  her?  I  must  tell  her  at 
once  of  the  unspeakable  happiness  which  this 
evening  has  brought  us  ... 

MERLIN 

Not  yet.  I  must  remain  in  her  eyes,  until 
the  close  of  the  day,  the  pitiless  tyrant  whom 
she  curses  in  her  heart.  My  poor,  dear 
child !  .  .  .  How  I  have  tortured  your  adora- 
ble love!  .  .  .  But  I  have  already  told  you 
the  object  of  these  proofs  ...  In  making 
you  suffer,  I  have  but  been  the  instrument  of 
fate  and  the  unworthy  slave  of  another  will, 
whose  source  I  do  not  know,  which  seems  to 
demand  that  the  slightest  happiness  should 
be  surrounded  by  tears  ...  I  have  but 
hastened,  in  order  to  bring  happiness  more 
quickly,  the  coming  of  those  tears  which 
hung  in  suspense  between  your  two  des- 
iii 


Joyzelle 

tinies  .  .  .  You  shall  know  some  day  by 
what  power,  a  power  which  has  no  magical  or 
supernatural  quality,  but  which  still  lies  hid- 
den at  the  bottom  of  men's  lives,  I  at  times 
command  certain  phenomena,  certain  appear- 
ances that  bewildered  you.  You  shall  also 
learn  that  I  have  acquired  the  gift,  often  a 
useless  one,  of  reading  the  future  a  little 
more  clearly  and  a  little  further  than  the 
rest  of  men  .  .  .  And  so  I  saw  you,  groping 
for  each  other,  in  time  and  space,  for  an  un- 
paralleled love,  the  most  perfect  perhaps  that 
the  two  or  three  centuries  over  which  my  eyes 
have  turned  concealed  within  their  shade  .  .  . 
You  might  have  met  each  other  after  many 
wanderings ;  but  it  was  necessary  to  hasten 
the  expected  meeting,  because  of  you,  my 
son,  whom  death  claimed  in  the  absence  of 
love  .  .  .  And,  on  the  other  side,  nothing 
marked  out  Joyzelle  for  the  hoped-for  love, 
save  a  few  scattered  and  uncertain  points 
and  the  proofs  themselves  which  she  was  to 
surmount.  I  therefore  hurried  on  the  pre- 
scribed proofs :  they  have  all  been  painful,  but 
necessary ;  the  last  will  be  decisive  and  more 
serious  .  .  . 

112 


Joyzelle 

LANCEOR 

Serious?  .  .  .  What  do  you  mean?  .  .  . 
It  will  not  be  dangerous  for  Joyzelle,  or  for 
others?  . 


MERLIN 

It  will  not  be  dangerous  for  Joyzelle,  but 
it  imperils,  for  the  last  time,  the  predestined 
love  to  which  your  life  is  linked  .  .  .  That 
is  why,  despite  of  all,  despite  of  my  confi- 
dence, despite  of  my  anticipations,  my  cer- 
tainty even,  I  am  afraid,  I  tremble  a  little  at 
the  approach  of  the  decisive  hour  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

If  Joyzelle  is  to  decide,  love  has  nothing 
to  fear  .  .  .  Come,  do  not  hesitate,  Joyzelle 
will  always  be  the  source  of  joy  ...  But  I 
do  not  understand  how,  knowing  the  future, 
you  are  not  able  to  see  her  triumph  before- 
hand? .  .  . 

MERLIN 

I  already  told  you,  before  we  came  in  here, 
that  Joyzelle  can  change  the  future  which 
she  faces  .  .  .  She  possesses  a  force  whicli 


Joyzelle 

I  have  seen  in  none  save  her;  that  is  why  I 
do  not  know  whether  the  great  victory  which 
your  love  expects  will  not  be  mingled  with 
some  little  shadow  and  tears  .  .  . 


LANCEOE 

What  do  you  mean?  .  .  .  You  seem  per- 
turbed .  .  .  What  are  you  hiding  from 
me?  .  .  .  How  can  you  believe  that  Joyzelle 
would  ever  be  the  cause  of  a  tear  or  the  cause 
of  a  shadow?  .  .  .  There  is  nothing  in  Joy- 
zelle, not  even  the  suffering  which  she  might 
inflict,  there  is  nothing  in  her  but  brings 
health,  happiness  and  love!  .  .  .  Ah,  how 
well  I  see  that  you  know  little  of  the  liv- 
ing triumph,  the  endless  dawn  contained  in 
her  voice,  her  eyes,  her  heart !  .  .  .  One  must 
have  held  her  in  his  arms  to  know  what 
treasures  of  hope,  what  torrents  of  certainty 
issue  from  the  least  word  murmured  by  her 
lips,  from  the  slightest  smile  that  plays  upon 
her  face  .  .  .  But  I  am  too  long  delaying 
the  impatient  victory.  Go,  father,  go  ... 
I  will  remain  here,  I  will  wait,  I  will  watch 
the  happy  moments  pass,  until  my  Joyzelle 
114 


Joyzelle 

utters  a  great  cry  of  joy  which  shall  tell  me 
that  love  has  determined  destiny    .  .  . 

[MERLIN  embraces  LANCEOR  and  goes 
out  slowly.] 

SCENE  II 

(The  same  room  as  in  Act  IV.  The  moon 
lights  it  with  its  blue  radiance.  On 
the  right,  MERLIN  is  seated  on  the  great 
marble  bed.  ARIELLE  is  kneeling  at  the 
head  of  the  bed,  on  the  steps  of  the  dais 
that  supports  it.) 

MERLIN 

Arielle,  the  hour  is  striking  and  Joyzelle  is 
approaching  ...  I  have  made  the  sacrifice 
of  my  useless  life;  and  yet  I  would  that  my 
death,  if  possible,  should  not  come  to  sadden 
the  most  ardent  and  innocent  love  that  the 
world  has  known  .  .  .  But  you  tremble,  you 
weep,  you  hide  from  me  your  eyes  swollen 
with  tears  .  .  .  What  do  you  see,  my  child, 
that  you  contemplate  with  so  great  a 
dread?  .  .  . 


Joyzelle 

ARIELLE 

Master,  I  beseech  you,  abandon  this  proof : 
there  is  yet  time!  .  .  .  My  eyes  cannot  see 
through  the  mist  that  surrounds  it  ...  It 
may  be  mortal,  I  see  it,  I  feel  it ;  and  chance 
has  placed  our  two  lives  in  the  hand  of  a  blind 
and  infatuated  virgin  ...  I  do  not  want 
to  die!  .  .  .  There  arc  other  outlets  ...  I 
have  always  served  you  as  your  very  thought 
.  .  .  But  to-day  I  am  afraid,  I  can  follow 
you  no  longer.  .  .  .  You  well  know  that  my 
death  is  the  echo  of  yours  .  .  .  Abandon 
this :  we  will  look  elsewhere,  in  the  future ;  and 
we  can  still  escape  the  danger  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

I  cannot  abandon  the  last  proof  ...  It 
is  for  you  to  see  that  it  does  not  turn  to  dis- 
aster. It  is  for  you  to  grasp  the  as  yet  un- 
certain weapon  which  Joyzelle  is  preparing 
to  raise  against  us  ... 

ARIELLE 

But    I    do    not    know    that    I    shall    suc- 
ceed! .   .  .  Joyzelle's  strength  is  so  swift,  so 
profound,  that  it  escapes  my  arm,  escapes 
116 


Joyzelle 

my  eyes,  escapes  destiny !  ...  I  see  only  the 
flash  of  falling  steel  .  .  .  All  is  confused 
in  a  shadow ;  and  my  life  and  yours  depend  on 
a  movement  of  my  unskilful  hand  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

She  is  there,  I  hear  her,  she  is  feeling  for 
the  door  ...  Be  obedient  and  silent;  I  am 
obedient  too.  Watch  and  be  quick  and 
strong  ...  I  will  close  my  eyes  and  await 
my  fate  .  .  . 

ARIELLE 

[Dismayed  and  maddened.'}  Abandon  the 
proof!  ...  I  cannot  go  through  with 
it!  ...  I  refuse!  ...  I  want  to  fly!  ... 

MERLIN 

[Imperiously.]  Silence !  .  .  .  [He  stretches 
himself  on  the  bed,  closes  his  eyes  and  appears 
to  be  sleeping  soundly.  ARIELLE,  overcome 
by  her  sobs,  sinks  down  on  the  steps  of  the 
dais.  On  the  left,  at  the  opposite  end  of  the 
room,  a  little  door  opens  and  JOYZELLE  enters, 
wrapped  in  a  long  cloak  and  carrying  a  lamp 
m  her  hand.  She  takes  two  or  three  steps 
117 


Joyzelle 

and  stops.  ARIELLE  rises  and  stands  invisi- 
ble behind  the  heavy  curtains  at  the  foot  of 
the  bed.] 

JOYZELLE 

[Stopping,  haggard,  hesitating,  trem- 
bling.'} Now  and  here  ...  I  have  taken 
the  last  step  .  .  .  Until  this  moment,  which 
time  can  no  longer  keep  back  and  which  is 
about  to  see  a  thing  that  will  never  be  wiped 
out ;  until  I  came  to  that  little  door  which  has 
just  closed  upon  two  captive  destinies,  I 
knew,  I  knew  all  that  I  had  to  do  ...  Ah, 
I  had  reflected  and  I  had  judged  so  well !  .  .  . 
There  was  nothing  but  that,  there  was  no- 
thing else:  it  was  certain,  it  was  just,  it  was 
inevitable!  .  .  .  But  now  all  changes  and  I 
have  forgotten  all  ...  There  are  other 
powers,  there  are  other  voices  and  I  am  all 
alone  against  all  that  speaks  in  the  uncertain 
night  .  .  .  Justice,  where  are  you?  .  .  . 
Justice,  what  must  I  do?  ...  I  shall  act 
because  you  wished  it  ...  You  convinced 
me  and  urged  me  on  ...  There,  but  now, 
under  the  thousands  of  stars  which  shone 
upon  the  door  and  which  you  invoked  to  reas- 
118 


Joyzelle 

sure  my  soul !  .  .  .  There  was  no  doubt,  then, 
and  all  the  certainty  of  all  that  breathes  and 
of  all  that  quivers  and  of  all  that  loves  and 
has  a  right  to  love  illumined  my  heart!  .  .  . 
But,  in  face  of  the  deed,  you  yourself  draw 
back,  you  deny  your  laws  and  abandon 
me!  .  .  .  Ah,  I  feel  too  much  alone,  deliv- 
ered like  a  blind  slave  to  the  unknown  .  .  . 
I  shall  walk  without  looking  ...  I  see  no- 
thing and  I  shall  not  raise  my  mad  eyes  to  the 
bed  until  the  moment  when  the  thing  .  .  . 
[She  advances  with  a  mechanical  step  to  the 
foot  of  the  bed.]  Now,  fate  itself  shall  say 
yes  .  .  .  [She  lifts  the  lamp,  looks  at  the 
bed,  sees  MERLIN  sleeping,  and,  in  her  sur- 
prise, takes  a  step  back.]  He  sleeps!  .  .  . 
what  is  this?  ...  I  had  not  foreseen  .  .  . 
Anything  but  this  .  .  .  Must  I  wait  still? 
.  .  .  Oh,  I  should  like  to  wait !  .  .  .  He  is 
sound  asleep  .  .  .  Then  he  did  not  wish 
.  .  .  But,  if  he  were  not  asleep,  I  could 
not  have  done  it  ...  He  would  have  dis- 
armed me,  he  would  have  mastered  me  .  .  . 
It  must  be  true,  it  is  fate,  it  is  a  good 
and  just  fate  that  delivers  him  to  me 
thus  ...  I,  who  was  looking  for  a  sign ! 
119 


Joyzelle 

.  .  .  But  there  is  the  sign !  .  .  .  What 
more  do  I  want,  if  I  want  anything 
more?  ....  And  yet,  as  he  is  asleep,  I  can- 
not know  .  .  .  Perhaps  he  has  pity,  perhaps 
he  renounces  and  would  bid  me  go!  .  .  . 
He  was  not  without  soul;  and  often,  at 
moments,  he  spoke  like  a  father  .  .  .  Ah, 
if  he  had  risen,  if  he  had  been  there,  with 
arms  held  out  to  me,  in  an  attitude  of 
.  .  .  Then,  then  I  should  have  been  strong 
and  should  have  conquered!  .  .  .  But  a  man 
asleep  .  .  .  That  shatters  hatred  .  .  . 
And  then,  one  no  longer  knows  .  .  .  And  to 
change  this  sleep  which  one  word  puts  to 
flight  into  that  which  no  human  or  super- 
human power  can  disturb !  .  .  .  Oh,  I  would 
at  least  that  one  word  of  forgiveness  .  .  . 
Ah  no,  I  am  too  great  a  coward!  .  .  .  This 
is  terror  seeking  an  outlet  ...  I  did  not 
come  for  further  meditation  .  .  .  There  is 
no  doubt,  after  what  he  did,  after  what  he 
said !  .  .  .  I  listen  only  to  my  voice,  the 
voice  of  my  destiny,  which  wills  that  I  should 
save  us  both !  ...  So  much  the  worse  if  I 
am  wrong !  .  .  .  I  am  right !  I  am  right ! 
.  .  .  Go  out,  my  lamp:  I  have  seen  all  that 
120 


Joyzelle 

I  need  see  .  .  .  [She  puts  out  the  lamp, 
places  it  on  one  of  the  marble  stairs,  seizes 
the  dagger  which  she  held  concealed,  raises 
it  and  looks  at  it  for  a  moment.]  Now, 
it  is  your  turn!  .  .  .  Ah,  if  you  could  do 
what  my  thought,  my  desperate  pity  wish, 
and  if  the  death  that  gleams  at  the  point  of 
this  blade  were  not  real  death,  irrevocable 
death!  .  .  .  But  enough  ...  It  is  time 
.  .  .  It  is  said,  it  is  done,  I  strike!  .  .  . 

[She  raises  the  dagger  to  strike  MER- 
LIN. ARIELLE,  invisible,  seizes  her 
wrist  and,  without  apparent  effort, 
paralyses  her  gesture.  At  the 
same  moment,  MERLIN  opens  his 
eyes,  smiling,  rises  and,  with  a 
movement  of  delight,  takes  JOY- 
ZELLE tenderly  in  his  arms.] 


MERLIN 

It  is  well  !  .  .  .  Joyzelle  is  great  and  Joy- 
zelle triumphs  !  .  .  .  She  has  conquered  fate 
by  listening  to  love  ;  and  it  is  you,  my  child, 
whom  destiny  marks  out  .  .  . 


Joyzelle 

JOYZELLE 

[Still  failing  to  understand  and  strug- 
gling.] No,  no,  no!  ...  I  could  not  .  .  . 
Ah,  though  my  heart  fail  me,  I  have  courage 
yet !  .  .  .  And  I  have  all  my  life,  if  I  no 
longer  have  my  strength,  and  never,  no, 
never,  so  long  as  I  have  breath  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Look  at  me,  Joyzelle  ...  I  am  restoring 
its  strength  to  the  arm  which  you  raised  in 
love's  defence  ...  I  leave  it  its  weapon 
which  tried  to  strike  me  and  which  was  strik- 
ing true  .  .  .  Until  that  movement,  all  was 
undecided;  now,  all  is  clear,  all  is  radiant  and 
sure  .  .  .  Look  at  me,  Joyzelle,  and  no 
longer  fear  my  lips  .  .  .  They  seek  your 
brow,  there  at  last  to  place  the  kiss  which  the 
father  lays  on  the  brow  of  his  daughter  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

What  is  this  and  what  do  you  mean  that 
I  cannot  understand?  .  .  .  Yes,  I  see  in 
your  eyes  that  you  seem  to  love  me  as  one 
loves  a  child  ...  So  I  was  mistaken  and 
I  was  on  the  point  of  .  .  .  ? 
122 


Joyzelle 

MERLIN 

No,  you  were  right ;  you  would  not  have 
been  she  whom  love  demands  if  you  had  not 
done  what  you  were  going  to  do. 


JOYZELLE 

I  do  not  know.  I  am  dreaming  .  .  .  But 
since  it  is  not  the  abominable  thing,  I  aban- 
don myself  to  my  dream  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Yes,  it  is  true,  my  Joyzelle,  I  am  yearning 
to  enjoy  your  delighted  surprise,  to  fol- 
low your  glances  which  seem  to  me  so  beauti- 
ful in  their  astonished  flight,  in  which  confi- 
dence dawns  and  which  no  longer  know 
where  to  rest  their  wings,  like  sea-birds  that 
have  lost  the  shore  ...  I  am  taking  my 
share  of  the  happiness  which  I  am  bestowing 
...  I  shall  have  no  other  .  .  .  But  do  not 
be  anxious,  we  shall  together  enter  into  the 
secrets  of  fate ;  and,  when  Lanceor  .  .  . 


JOYZELLE 

Where  is  he? 

123 


Joyzelle 

MERLIN 

Ah,  that  name  rouses  you;  and  see,  the 
shore  appears  to  those  glances  lost  in  space! 
.  .  .  Listen,  I  hear  him  .  .  .  Your  heart, 
without  our  knowing  it,  has  gone  to  tell  him 
that  you  loved  him  to  the  point  which  love 
cannot  surpass  .  .  .  He  is  hastening,  he  is 
here!  .  .  . 

[The  door  opens.     Enter  LANCEOR, 
followed  by  ARIELLE,  invisible.'] 

LANCEOR 

Father !  .  .   .  She  is  mine !  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

My  son,  she  has  triumphed;  destiny  gives 
her  to  you  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

[Taking  JOYZELLE  in  his  arms  and  cover- 
ing her  with  wild  kisses.]  Ah,  I  knew  it 
and  I  was  sure  of  it !  ...  Joyzelle,  my 
Joyzelle!  ...  I  do  not  ask  what  you  can 
have  done  to  disarm  fate  ...  I  know  no- 
thing yet ;  but  we  know  all  beforehand  who 
love  each  other  as  you  and  I  love ;  and  already 
124 


Joyzelle 

I  hail  the  new  truth  that  must  have  been 
revealed  at  the  first  touch  of  your  heart! 
.  .  .  Ah,  father,  father,  I  told  you,  I  told 
you !  .  .  .  But  she  does  not  understand  why 
I  am  embracing  you  ...  It  is  true,  I  go 
too  fast  .  .  .  Come  here,  Joyzelle,  that  I 
may  unite  you  both  in  my  arms  .  .  .  We 
had  with  us  an  enemy  who  loves  us ;  he  was 
obliged  to  make  us  suffer;  and  that  gentle 
enemy  was  my  own  father,  whom  I  thought 
lost,  my  father  here,  my  father  found  again, 
who  awaits  but  a  smile  to  embrace  you  too 
.  .  .  Oh,  do  not  turn  away,  do  not  look  at 
me  with  those  eyes  already  laden  with  re- 
proaches ...  I  have  hidden  nothing  from 
you  ...  I  knew  it  to-day,  this  evening,  the 
moment  you  left  me ;  and,  so  soon  as  I  knew 
it,  I  had  to  fly  far  from  you,  lest  I  should 
betray  myself,  for  all  our  happiness,  it 
appears,  depended  on  this  last  secret ;  and, 
when  a  secret  is  committed  to  love,  it  is  as 
though  one  hid  a  lighted  lamp  in  a  crystal 
vase  .  .  .  You  would  have  learnt  all  merely 
by  seeing  my  eyes,  my  hands,  my  very 
shadow ;  and  I  could  not  show  you  my  happi- 
ness .  .  .  You  were  not  to  know  of  it  till 
125 


Joyzelle 

the  great  proof  ...  It  was  necessary  that 
you  should  do  an  impossible  thing  .  .  . 
What  thing  I  do  not  know ;  but,  smile  as 
I  might,  I  had  to  yield;  I  had  to  wait  and 
patiently  count  the  minutes  of  the  hour  which 
thus  separated  our  two  impatient  pas- 
sions .  .  .  But  now,  I  hasten,  I  listen,  I 
want  to  know  .  .  .  Speak,  speak,  I  am 
listening  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Since  you  are  happy,  I  am  happy,  too  .  .  . 
I  know  nothing  more  ...  I  have  scarce 
awakened  from  a  horrible  and  incomprehensi- 
ble dream  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Yes,  my  poor  Joyzelle,  the  dream  was  hor- 
rible ;  but  now  it  is  overcome  and  the  proof 
is  past,  establishing  a  happiness  which  no- 
thing threatens  now,  except  the  enemy  that 
threatens  all  men  .  .  . 

LANCEOE 

But  what,  when  all  is  told,  was  that 
fearful  proof?  .  .  . 

126 


Joyzelle 

MERLIN 

Joyzelle  will  tell  you  in  the  first  kisses,  free 
from  all  anxiety,  which  you  will  exchange 
after  this  victory.  They  will  veil  better  than 
my  poor  words  what,  in  this  proof,  ap- 
pears unpardonable  .  .  .  The  proof  was 
dangerous  and  almost  insurmountable  .  .  . 
Joyzelle  could  have  chosen  a  different  course 
.  .  .  She  might  have  yielded,  sacrificed  her- 
self, sacrificed  her  love,  despaired,  I  know  not 
what !  .  .  .  She  would  not  have  been  the  Joy- 
zelle that  was  expected  .  .  .  There  was  but 
one  path  traced  by  destiny ;  she  entered  upon 
it,  followed  it  to  the  end  and  saved  your  life 
in  saving  her  own  love  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

It  is  ordained,  then,  that  love  strikes  and 
kills  all  that  tries  to  bar  its  way?  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

No,  Joyzelle,  I  do  not  know  .  .  .  Let  us 
not  make  laws  with  a  few  scraps  picked  up  in 
the  darkness  that  surrounds  our  thoughts 
.  .  .  But  she  who  was  to  do  what  you  were 
willing  to  do  was  she  whom  fate  intended 
127 


Joyzelle 

for  my  son  ...  It  was  therefore  written, 
for  you  and  for  you  alone  and  perhaps  for 
those  who  resemble  you  a  little,  that  they  have 
a  right  to  the  love  which  fate  points  out  to 
them ;  and  that  that  love  must  break  down 
injustice  ...  I  do  not  judge  you:  it  is 
fate  that  approves  you;  but  I  am  overjoyed 
that  it  has  thus  chosen  you  among  all 
women  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Father!  ...  I  tremble  still  when  I  see 
that  weapon  which,  for  a  moment  .  .  .  For- 
give me,  father,  I  loved  you  already  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

It  is  I  who  ask  you  now  to  offer  me  a  for- 
giving hand  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

No,  no,  these  arc  not  the  cold  hands  of  for- 
giveness !  .  .  .  These  are  the  hands  that 
caress,  worship  and  give  thanks !  .  .  .  I 
know  noAv  why,  despite  my  hatred,  I  could  not 
hate !  .  .  .  What  you  have  done  was  more 
difficult  than  all  that  I  have  done,  because  it 
128 


Joyzelle 

was  cruel;  and,  when  I  think  again  on  what 
has  happened,  it  is  you,  it  is  you,  father,  who 
have  endured  the  heaviest  and  the  most 
deserving  proof  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

No,  the  most  deserving  was  not  among 
those  which  you  can  discover  ...  It  will 
remain  the  secret  of  this  heart  which  loves 
you  both  and  unites  you  within  itself  and 
which,  to  change  this  too-deep  secret  into 
happiness,  asks  my  two  children  for  but  a 
moment  of  their  joy  and  perhaps  for  a  kiss 
a  little  longer  than  those  granted  in  passing 
to  old  men  whose  time  on  earth  is  short  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

[Throwing  himself  in  MERLIN'S  arms.] 
Father!  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

[Also  embracing  MERLIN.]  My  father 
too!  ... 

ARIELLE 

[Trying  to  mingle  with  the  closely  entwined 
group.]    No  one  sees  me   and  no  one  thinks 
129 


Joyzelle 

of  giving  me  my  share  of  the  love  snatched 
by  my  invisible  hands  from  the  miserly  hands 
of  the  days  and  years  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

[Smiling.]  I  see  you,  Arielle:  you  love  all 
three  of  us ;  but  a  more  ardent  kiss  ascends 
towards  Joyzelle  than  those  which  you  give 
to  us  ...  There,  kiss  her;  the  proof  is 
finished  in  my  old  heart  too  .  .  .  Yet  a  little 
while  and  we  shall  be  far  from  her  and  far 
from  all  love  .  .  . 

[ARIELLE  kisses  JOYZELLE  long  and 
slowly, ] 

JOYZELLE 

What  are  you  saying,  father,  and  to  whom 
are  you  speaking?  ...  It  seems  as  though 
flowers  which  I  cannot  gather  were  lightly 
touching  my  forehead  and  caressing  my 
lips  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Do    not    repel    them,    they    are    sad    and 
pure    ...  It  is  my  poor  Arielle  who  spreads 
130 


Joyzelle 

them  over  you;  it  is  my  invisible  daughter, 
the  good  fairy  of  the  island,  who  discovered 
and  protected  you  and  Lanceor.  She  wishes 
to  mingle,  for  the  last  time,  in  your  great 
love  and  asks  for  a  share,  as  discreet  as  her- 
self, of  the  happiness  which  we  owe  her  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

Where  is  she?  ...  I  see  no  one  near  me 
but  you  and  Lanceor  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

And  do  you  think,  my  child,  that  we  see 
all  that  lives  deep  down  in  our  lives?  .  .  . 
Be  kind  and  gentle  to  poor  Arielle  .  .  . 
She  is  now  giving  you  a  parting  kiss  before 
going  far  away  to  disappear  with  me  in  the 
regions  where  fate  wills  that  my  destiny 
should  be  fulfilled  .  .  . 

LANCEOR 

To  disappear  with  you?  .  .  .  Father,  I 
do  not  know  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Let  us  not  question  those  who  have  nothing 
131 


Joyzelle 

more  to  say  .  .  .  All  is  now  determined 
.  .  .  Thanks  to  the  unknown  gods,  I  have 
been  able  to  give  happiness  to  the  two  hearts 
that  were  dearest  to  me ;  but  I  can  do  no  more, 
nor  can  you  do  anything,  for  my  own  happi- 
ness ...  I  am  going  towards  my  destiny 
and  I  go  in  silence,  lest  I  should  sadden  this 
smiling  hour,  which  is  yours  alone  ...  I 
know  what  awaits  me ;  and  nevertheless  I  am 
going  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

No,  no,  no,  no,  father,  you  shall  not 
go !  ...  We  are  around  you  and,  if  some 
danger  which  we  cannot  see  threatens  your 
old  age,  we  shall  try  at  least  to  alleviate  the 
dread  of  it  ...  When  there  are  three  to 
undergo  a  misfortune  and  those  three  love 
one  another,  then  the  misfortune  changes  to 
a  burden  of  love,  which  we  bear  with  de- 
light  .  .  . 

MEELIN 

Alas,  no,  my  Joyzelle:  it  would  all  be  use- 
less! .  .  .  Would  to  the  gods  that  men  had 
to  pass  only  through  kindly  evils,  as  yours 

132 


Joyzelle 

were!  .  .  .  But  all  life's  secret  purposes  are 
not  so  clear,  are  not  so  good  .  .  .  But  we 
speak  in  vain  of  what  is  written  ...  I  am 
still  here,  in  the  arms  of  those  who  love 
me  .  .  .  The  .day  of  my  distress  is  not  this 
day  .  .  .  Let  us  enjoy  our  hour,  in  the 
sweet  sadness  that  follows  on  great  joys,  by 
listening  to  our  minutes  of  love,  passing  and 
fleeting,  one  by  one,  in  that  frail  ray  of  noc- 
turnal light  in  which  we  clasp  one  another  for 
our  greater  happiness  „  .  .  The  rest  does 
not  as  yet  belong  to  men  .  .  . 


133 


APPENDIX    I 

(ACT  III.,  SCENE  II.,  p.  75).  If  this  trans- 
figuration of  MERLIN'S  cannot  be  real- 
ised in  a  satisfactory  manner  on  the 
stage,  it  may  be  easily  avoided  by  cut- 
ting, on  pp.  77  to  81,  all  that  follows  on 
JOYZELLE'S  exclamation.  The  scene  will 
then  be  as  follows: 

JOYZELLE 

[Waiting  with  a  start.]  Lanceor!  .  .  . 
[Recognising  MERLIN,  with  a  movement  of 
horror.]  You!  .  .  . 

MERLIN 

Yes,  it  is  I :  the  proof  is  grave  and  sad,  etc. 
(The  rest  as  on  pp.  81  and  85.) 


135 


APPENDIX    II 

(ACT  V.,  SCENE  II.,  p.  129).  Should  there  be 
a  fear  of  "  tedious  passages  "  (as  Vil- 
liers  de  L'isle-Adam  said,  "  To  be  or  not 
to  be,"  and  generally  speaking,  all  Ham- 
let's speeches  would  be  described  to-day 
as  "  tedious  passages "),  the  denoue- 
ment could  be  hastened  on,  beginning 
with  ARIEI/LE'S  speech  (p.  129),  as 
follows: 

AEIEL.LE 

[TPTto  has  remained  standing  at  the  foot 
of  the  bed;  in  a  sad  and  solemn  voice.] 
Master ! 

MERLIN 

I  see  you,  Arielle,  and  I  will  obey    .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

What  are  you  saying,  father,  and  to  whom 
are  you  speaking? 

136 


Appendix 

MEELIN 

To  her  who  opened  up  to  you  the  road  to 
happiness.  She  is  now  giving  you  a  parting 
kiss,  which  I  also  give  you  .  .  . 

JOYZELLE 

A  parting  kiss? 


LANCEOE 

Father! 


JOYZELLE 

What    does    this    mean     and    what    has 
happened? 

MEELIN 

Let  us  not  question  those  who  have  nothing 
more  to  say.     Would  to  the  gods  that,  etc 

(The  rest  as  in  MERLIN'S  final  speech.) 


THE   END 


137 


MONNA    VANNA 


TRANSLATOR'S  NOTE 

THIS  version  of  "  Monna  Vanna  "  advances 
no  claim  to  absolute  literalness.  It  has  been 
prepared  for  stage  presentation ;  and  certain 
expressions,  perfectly  inoffensive  in  the  orig- 
inal, have  been  modified,  brought  into  line 
with  English  ways  of  speech.  There  are 
words  in  our  language  that,  to  use  Mr.  Mere- 
dith's phrase,  "  for  the  sake  of  dignity,  blush 
to  be  named,"  and  such  blushes  may  fitly  be 
spared  when  a  paraphrase  is  ready  to  hand. 
It  remains  only  to  be  said  that  M.  Maeter- 
linck's work,  pure  and  lofty  throughout,  has 
been  altered  only  at  most  immaterial  points ; 
and  that  no  alteration  whatever  has  been 
made  without  the  full  approval  of  the  author. 


141 


CHARACTERS 

GUIDO  COLONNA,   Commander  of  the  Pisan 

garrison 

MARCO  COLONNA,  Guide's  father 
PRINZIVALLE,  General  in  the  pay  of  Florence 
TRIVULZIO,   Commissioner  of  the  Florentine 

Republic 

TORELLO,  }Guido>sueutenants 

BORSO,        ) 

VEDIO,  Secretary  to  Prinzivalle 

GIOVANNA  (MONNA  VANNA),  Guido's  wife 


PERIOD — The  end  of  the  Fifteenth  Century 

The  first  and  third  Acts  take  place  in  Pisa; 
the  second  outside  the  city 


142 


ACT   I 

A  Room  in  the  Palace  of  GUIDO  COLONNA 

(GuiDO  and  his  lieutenants,  BORSO  and  TOR- 
ELLO,  are  standing  by  an  open  window, 
from  which  there  is  a  view  of  the  country 
around  Pisa.) 

GUIDO 

OUR  present  extremity  is  so  great  that 
the  Seigniory  have  been  compelled  to 
reveal  to  me  disasters  they  had  long  kept 
back.  The  two  armies  that  Venice  despatched 
to  our  relief  are  both  hemmed  in  by  the 
Florentines ;  the  one  at  Bibbiena,  the  other  at 
Elci.  Chiusi,  Montalone,  the  passes  of  the 
Vernia,  Arezzo,  and  the  defiles  of  the  Casen- 
tine — these  are  all  held  by  the  enemy.  We 
are  isolated  and  helpless,  given  over  to  the 
hatred  of  Florence ;  and  Florence  is  unfor- 
giving when  she  no  longer  trembles.  Our 
soldiers,  the  people,  are  still  unaware  of  these 


Monna  Vanna 

disasters,  but  strange  rumours  are  afoot,  and 
daily  becoming  more  definite.  What  will  the 
Pisans  do,  when  they  learn  the  truth?  Their 
rage  will  turn  upon  us,  upon  the  Seigniory ; 
we  shall  be  the  first  to  fall  victim  to  their 
terror  and  blind  despair.  They  have  endured 
so  much,  during  this  long  siege,  that  has 
lasted  more  than  three  months ;  they  have 
borne  their  suffering  so  heroically,  that  it 
need  not  surprise  us  if  famine  and  misery 
goad  them  now  to  madness.  One  hope  was 
left  to  them ;  that  is  gone,  and,  with  it,  the 
last  vestige  of  our  authority.  We  shall  be 
powerless.  The  enemy  will  batter  down  our 
walls,  and  Pisa  cease  to  be  ... 

BORSO 

My  men  have  shot  their  last  arrow;  their 
ammunition  is  spent.  One  may  search  the 
vaults  from  end  to  end  without  finding  an 
ounce  of  powder  .  .  . 

TOIIELLO 

We  fired  our  last  cannon  ball  two  days  ago 
at  the  batteries  of  Sant'  Antonio ;  and  even 
the  Stradiotes,  who  now  have  nothing  left  but 
144 


Monna  Vanna 

their     swords,     refuse     to     man    the     ram- 
parts   .  .  . 

BORSO 

From  this  window  the  breach  can  be  seen 
that  Prinzivalle's  cannon  have  made  in  our 
walls  ...  It  is  fifty  paces  wide;  a  flock  of 
sheep  could  pass  through  .  .  .  The  place  is 
untenable;  and  the  Romagnians,  the  Scla- 
vonians,  and  the  Albanians  have  signified  their 
intention  to  desert  in  a  body  should  the  capit- 
ulation not  be  signed  to-night  .  .  . 


GUIDO 

Thrice  within  the  last  ten  days  have  the 
Seigniory  sent  ancients  of  the  College  to  treat 
for  capitulation.  These  have  none  of  them 
returned  .  .  . 

TORELLO 

Prinzivalle  does  not  forgive  us  the  murder 
of  his  lieutenant,  Antonio  Reno,  whom  the 
frenzied  peasants  hacked  to  death  in  our 
streets.  Florence  avails  herself  of  this  mur- 
der to  proclaim  us  outside  the  law,  and  treat 
us  as  barbarians  .  .  . 

US 


Monna  Vanna 

GUIDO 

I  have  sent  my  own  father  to  Prinzlvalle 
to  express  our  profound  regret,  and  explain 
how  powerless  we  were  to  control  a  mob 
whom  hunger  had  driven  frantic.  My  father 
was  a  sacred  hostage.  He  has  not  yet  re- 
turned .  .  . 

BORSO 

For  more  than  a  week  now  the  city  has  lain 
open,  and  exposed  on  every  side;  our  walls 
are  a  mass  of  ruin,  our  cannon  silent.  Why 
does  Prinzivalle  not  give  the  order  for 
assault?  Can  it  be  that  his  courage  has 
failed  him,  or  does  he  dread  some  ambush? 
Florence,  perhaps,  may  have  sent  mysterious 
orders  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

The  orders  of  Florence  are  ever  myste- 
rious, but  her  designs  are  clear.  Pisa,  by  her 
unswerving  loyalty  to  Venice,  has  set  a 
dangerous  example  to  the  little  Tuscan  cities ; 
the  Republic  of  Pisa,  therefore,  must  cease 
to  be  ...  Florence  has  displayed  rare  arti- 
fice and  cunning.  She  has  contrived,  little 
by  little,  to  embitter  this  war,  to  poison  it 
with  strange  acts  of  treachery  and  cruelty, 
146 


Monna  Vanna 

that  shall  be  held  to  warrant  her  pitiless 
revenge.  It  is  not  without  cause  that  I  sus- 
pect her  emissaries  of  having  incited  our 
peasants  to  massacre  Reno.  So,  too,  was  it 
part  of  her  scheme  to  entrust  this  siege  to 
Prinzivalle,  the  most  barbarous  mercenary  in 
her  employ — the  man  who  won  for  himself 
such  sinister  fame  at  the  sack  of  Placenza, 
where  he  put  every  man  who  bore  arms  to  the 
sword — though  he  declared  later  this  was 
done  against  his  orders ! — and  sold  five  thou- 
sand free  women  into  slavery  .  .  . 

BORSO 

Such  is  the  report,  I  know,  but  it  is  not 
correct.  It  was  not  Prinzivalle,  but  the  Flor- 
entine Commissioners,  who  were  responsible 
both  for  the  massacre  and  the  sale.  I  have 
never  seen  Prinzivalle,  but  one  of  my  brothers 
knew  him  well.  He  is  of  barbarian  origin. 
His  father  would  seem  to  have  been  a  Basque 
or  a  Breton,  who  kept  a  goldsmith's  shop  in 
Venice.  He  is  undoubtedly  of  humble  birth, 
but  still  not  the  savage  that  people  hold  him. 
From  what  I  hear  he  is  a  dangerous  creature, 
of  dissolute  habits,  fantastic  and  violent,  but, 

147 


Monna  Vanna 

for  all  that,  loyal ;  and  I  would  unhesitatingly 
hand  him  my  sword    .  .  . 

GUIDO 

Wait  till  your  arm  can  no  longer  wield  it ! 
And  very  soon  now  he  will  be  stirring,  and 
show  us  what  he  is !  In  the  meanwhile  we 
have  one  chance  left :  such  of  us,  at  least,  as 
dare  to  meet  death  bravely,  and  to  look  it  in 
the  face  .  .  .  We  must  tell  the  whole  truth 
to  the  soldiers,  the  citizens,  and  the  peasants 
who  have  found  shelter  in  our  walls.  They 
shall  learn  that  no  offer  of  capitulation  has 
been  made  to  us ;  and  that  we  have  not  here 
one  of  those  mimic  wars  in  which  two  great 
armies  fight  from  dawn  to  sunset,  leaving 
three  wounded  on  the  field;  not  a  fraternal 
siege  that  ends  by  the  victor  becoming  the 
guest  and  the  cherished  friend  of  the  van- 
quished. This  is  a  bitter  struggle  for  life 
or  death;  a  struggle  in  which  no  mercy  is 
shown;  in  which  our  wives  and  our  chil- 
dren .  .  . 

[Enter  MARCO.     GUIDO  sees  him  and 
rushes  eagerly  to  embrace  him.] 
148 


Monna  Vanna 

GUIDO 

Father!  .  .  .  By  what  happy  miracle, 
what  stroke  of  good  fortune  in  this  calamity 
of  ours,  have  you  been  restored  to  us,  when  I 
had  almost  given  up  hope  .  .  .  You  are  not 
wounded?  You  drag  your  foot  behind  you! 
Have  they  tortured  you?  How  did  you 
escape?  What  have  they  done  to  you? 

MARCO 

Nothing.  They  are  not  barbarians,  thank 
God!  They  received  me  as  an  honoured 
guest.  Prinzivalle  had  read  my  works ;  he 
spoke  to  me  of  the  three  dialogues  of  Plato, 
that  I  had  found  and  translated.  I  am 
lame,  it  is  true,  but  then  I  had  far  to  go,  and 
I  am  very  old  .  .  .  Do  you  know  whom  I 
met  in  Prinzivalle's  tent? 


GUIDO 

The   merciless    Commissioners    from   Flor- 
ence! 

• 

MARCO 

Yes,  they  were  there — or,  at  least,  one  of 
them,  for  I  saw  only  one    .  .  .  But  the  first 
149 


Monna  Vanna 

name  I  heard  was  that  of  Marsllio  Ficino,  the 
man  who  revealed  Plato  to  the  world  .  .  . 
Plato  would  seem  to  live  again  in  Marsilio 
Ficino  ...  I  would  have  given  ten  years  of 
my  life  to  see  him,  before  going  whither  all 
must  go  ...  We  were  like  two  brothers 
who  had  come  together  at  last  .  .  .  We 
spoke  of  Hesiod,  of  Homer,  Aristotle  .  .  . 
Close  to  the  camp,  beside  the  banks  of  the 
Arno,  he  had  unearthed,  in  a  grove  of  olive, 
the  torso  of  a  goddess  that  had  lain  buried  in 
the  sand:  it  was  so  strangely  beautiful  that 
if  you  saw  it  you  would  forget  the  war.  We 
dug  on  a  little  further ;  he  found  an  arm,  and 
I  two  hands  .  .  .  These  hands  were  so  pure, 
so  delicate,  they  held  such  a  radiant  happi- 
ness, that  one  fancied  them  formed  for 
naught  else  than  to  scatter  the  dew,  or 
caress  the  dawn  .  .  .  One  was  curved  ten- 
derly, as  though  it  had  lain  against  a  woman's 
breast;  the  other  still  clasped  the  handle  of 
a  mirror  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

Father,  father!     Let  us  not  forget  that, 
here,   people   are  perishing  of  hunger,   and 
150 


Monna  Vanna 

have  little  to  do  with  delicate  hands,  or  bronze 
torsos ! 

MARCO 
This  one  is  of  marble    .  .  . 

GUIDO 

Be  it  so!  But  let  us  speak  rather  of  the 
thirty  thousand  lives  to  whom  a  moment's 
delay,  a  single  imprudent  act,  spells  ruin ; 
whereas  a  word  could  save  them:  a  whisper 
of  good  news  ...  It  was  not  for  a  torso 
or  a  mutilated  hand  that  you  went  yonder ! 
What  did  they  say  to  you?  What  de- 
signs has  Florence,  or  Prinzivalle?  Tell  us 
quickly!  Why  do  they  dally  with  us?  Do 
you  hear  those  cries  underneath  our  win- 
dow? The  poor  wretches  are  fighting  for  the 
grass  that  has  grown  between  the  stones  .  .  . 

MARCO 

You  are  right.  I  was  forgetting  that  men 
were  at  war  with  each  other  now  that  spring 
is  here,  and  the  glad  sky  smiling  upon  the 
earth,  and  the  sea  stretching  towards  the  blue 
like  a  radiant  cup  that  a  goddess  presents  to 
the  gods  of  heaven ;  and  the  earth  so  fair  and 


Monna  Vanna 

so  full  of  love  for  men !  .  .  .  But  you  have 
your  joys;  I  dwell  too  long  on  mine  .  .  . 
Besides,  you  are  right.  I  should  have  told 
you  at  once  the  news  that  I  bring  ...  I 
bear  a  message  fraught  with  salvation  to 
thirty  thousand  lives,  and  with  heavy  afflic- 
tion to  one  .  .  .  But  this  one  may  find 
therein  most  noble  occasion  for  glory,  of  a 
kind  that  seems  greater  to  me  than  all  the 
glories  of  war  .  .  .  Love  for  one  person  is 
good,  and  brings  its  own  happiness ;  but  the 
love  that  enfolds  the  many  is  greater  and 
finer  still  .  .  .  The  virtues  that  all  men  ad- 
mire are  good;  yet  there  come  days  when  our 
eye  travels  beyond  them,  and  then  their  value 
seems  less  .  .  .  Listen !  .  .  .  And  prepare 
yourself  for  what  I  have  to  say,  lest  my  first 
words  should  wring  from  you  one  of  those 
oaths  that  bar  our  retreat,  and  enchain  the 
reason  that  fain  would  retrace  her  steps  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

'[Dismissing  his  officers  with  a  gesture.] 
Leave  us ! 

MARCO 

No !     Remain    ...  It  is  our  fate,  the  fate 

152 


Monna  Vanna 

of  us  all,  that  we  are  about  to  decide!  In- 
deed, I  could  wish  that  this  room  overflowed 
with  the  victims  whom  we  shall  save!  That 
all  the  poor  wretches  to  whom  we  bring  com- 
fort might  be  at  the  window  there,  to  hear 
and  retain  for  ever  the  tidings  I  bring;  for 
I  bring  salvation,  if  reason  will  but  accept 
it !  Nor  could  ten  thousand  reasons  turn 
the  scale  against  one  overpowering  error, 
whereof  I  fear  the  weight  the  more,  inasmuch 
as  I  myself  .  .  . 

GITIDO 

Have  done  with  enigmas,  father,  I  entreat 
you !  What  can  this  matter  be  that  calls  for 
so  many  words?  Tell  us  all!  There  is 
nothing  can  frighten  us  now ! 

MARCO 

Be  it  so,  then !  Listen !  I  saw  Prinzi- 
valle ;  I  have  had  speech  with  him  ...  It  is 
strange  how  false  is  the  picture  men  draw  of 
one  whom  they  hold  in  dread  ...  I  went  to 
him  as  Priam  to  the  tent  of  Achilles.  I 
thought  to  meet  a  drunken,  bloodstained 
savage — a  madman  whose  only  quality  was  a 
certain  talent  for  war  .  .  .  For  as  such  had 

153 


Monna  Vanna 

he  always  been  represented  to  me  ...  I  ex- 
pected to  find  the  incarnate  fiend  of  battle, 
headstrong  and  incoherent,  vain,  debauched, 
treacherous,  cruel  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

And  all  this  is  Prinzivalle,  save  that  he  be 
no  traitor ! 

BORSO 

Nay,  traitor  he  is  not ;  and,  though  he 
serve  Florence,  his  loyalty  is  unstained  .  .  . 

MARCO 

The  man  I  met  bowed  down  before  me  as 
though  he  were  my  disciple,  and  I  the 
master  whom  he  revered.  He  is  learned, 
studious,  wise,  eager  in  search  of  knowledge. 
He  listens  patiently,  and  his  eyes  are  open  to 
all  things  that  are  beautiful.  He  is  humane 
and  generous,  and  has  no  liking  for  war;  he 
is  conscientious  and  sincere,  the  reluctant 
servant  of  a  perfidious  Republic.  The 
hazards  of  life — destiny,  it  may  be — made 
him  a  soldier,  and  hold  him  captive  still  to  a 
glory  that  he  detests,  and  fain  would 
abandon,  but  not  before  he  has  gratified  a 

154 


Monna  Vanna 

desire;  a  fearful  desire,  such  as  would  seem 
to  fall  on  some  men  who  are  born  beneath  the 
perilous  star  of  a  great,  unique,  and  unreal- 
isable  love  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

Father,  father,  you  forget  that  men  who 
are  dying  of  hunger  can  ill  brook  this  delay ! 
What  are  this  man's  qualities  to  us?  You 
spoke  of  salvation;  give  us  the  word  you 
promised ! 

MARCO 

It  is  true.  I  do  wrong  to  hesitate;  for 
cruel  as  this  thing  may  be  to  the  two  crea- 
tures I  love  best  of  all  on  this  earth  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

My  share  I  accept,  though  it  be  what  it 
may ;  but  who  is  the  other? 

MARCO 

Listen,  I  will  ...  As  I  entered  this  room 
it  seemed  strange  and  difficult  to  me ;  and  yet 
the  chance  of  salvation  was  so  overwhelm- 
ing ... 

GUIDO 
Speak ! 

155 


Monna  Vanna 

MARCO 

Florence  is  determined  on  our  annihilation. 
The  decemvirs  of  war  have  judged  it  neces- 
sary, the  Seigniory  have  approved  their 
decree ;  the  decision  is  irrevocable.  But 
Florence  is  too  prudent,  too  wise  in  her  hypoc- 
risy, to  allow  the  world  that  she  is  civilising 
to  lay  the  charge  of  indiscriminate  bloodshed 
at  her  door.  She  will  declare,  therefore,  that 
we  refused  the  merciful  capitulation  she  had 
offered.  The  city  will  be  taken  by  assault; 
Spanish  and  German  mercenaries  will  be 
hurled  against  her.  And  these  need  no  urg- 
ing, when  there  is  chance  of  pillage  or  burn- 
ing, of  rapine  or  slaughter !  A  mere  matter 
of  slipping  the  muzzle:  and  the  leaders,  that 
day,  will  take  care  to  seem  helpless,  to  have 
lost  all  control  .  .  .  Such  is  the  fate  held  in 
store  for  us ;  and  the  city  of  the  red  lily  will 
be  the  first  to  deplore  the  disaster,  and  will 
ascribe  it  wholly  to  the  unforeseen  licence  of 
the  foreign  mercenaries,  whom  she  will  dis- 
band with  every  expression  of  horror,  so 
soon  as  our  ruin  shall  enable  her  to  dispense 
with  their  services  .  .  . 


156 


Monna  Vanna 

GUIDO 

Yes.    That  is  the  way  of  Florence  .  .  . 

MARCO 

These  are  the  private  instructions  that 
Prinzivalle  has  received  from  the  Commis- 
sioners of  the  Republic.  Day  after  day, 
through  this  last  week,  they  have  urged  him 
to  deliver  the  final  assault.  Hitherto  he  has 
delayed  it  under  various  pretexts.  Further, 
he  has  intercepted  letters  wherein  the  Com- 
missioners, who  spy  upon  his  every  move- 
ment, accuse  him  of  treachery  to  the  Seign- 
iory. Pisa  destroyed,  and  the  war  over,  con- 
demnation, torture,  and  death  await  him  in 
Florence,  as  they  have  awaited  more  than 
one  dangerous  general.  So  that  he  knows 
his  fate  .  .  . 

GUIDO 
Very  well  then,  what  does  he  propose? 

MARCO 

He  is  certain — as  far,  at  least,  as  one  can 
be  certain  where  these  shif  tly  savages  are  con- 
cerned— of  a  fair  proportion  of  the  archers, 

157 


Monna  Vanna 

whom  he  himself  enrolled.  But,  in  any  event, 
he  has  a  bodyguard  of  a  hundred  men,  who 
are  devoted  to  him;  and  on  these  he  can 
absolutely  rely.  His  proposal  is  that  all  who 
may  choose  to  follow  him  shall  be  brought 
into  Pisa,  and  help  to  defend  her  against  the 
army  he  will  abandon  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

It  is  not  men  we  need ;  and  these  dangerous 
auxiliaries  do  not  tempt  us.  Let  him  give  us 
bullets,  provisions,  powder. 

MARCO 

He  foresaw  that  his  offer  might  appear 
suspicious  to  you,  and  perhaps  be  rejected. 
He  will  undertake,  therefore,  to  pass  into  the 
city  a  convoy  of  three  hundred  waggons, 
laden  with  ammunition  and  food,  that  have 
just  entered  his  camp. 

GUIDO 
How  can  he  do  this? 

MARCO 

I  know  not.     The  ways  of  war  and  politics 
are   strange  to  me.     But  he   does   what  he 
158 


Monna  Vanna 

will  .  .  .  The  Florentine  Commissioners  not- 
withstanding, he  is  absolute  master  in  his 
camp  so  long  as  the  Seigniory  have  not  re- 
moved him  from  his  command.  And  this 
they  dare  not  do  on  the  eve  of  victory,  in  the 
midst  of  an  army  that  has  faith  in  him,  and 
already  clutches  its  prey.  Florence  must 
wait  her  hour! 

GUIDO 

Good,  I  understand;  he  saves  us  that  he 
may  save  himself.  He  seeks  revenge.  But 
this,  I  imagine,  could  be  achieved  in  other 
fashions,  and  more  skilfully  too.  What  can 
his  interest  be  in  saving  his  enemies? 
Whither  will  he  go,  and  what  will  become  of 
him?  What  does  he  demand  in  return? 

MARCO 

The  moment  has  come,  my  son,  when  words 
turn  cruel  and  all-powerful,  when  two  or 
three  syllables  suddenly  borrow  the  force  of 
destiny,  and  fasten  upon  their  victims  .  .  . 
I  tremble  when  I  think  that  the  sound  of  my 
voice,  the  way  in  which  I  may  say  what  has 
to  be  said,  can  cause  so  many  deaths,  or  save 
so  many  lives  .  .  . 

159 


Monna  Vanna 

GUIDO 

Why  do  you  hesitate?  .  .  .  The  cruellest 
words  can  add  nothing  to  such  a  misfortune 
as  ours  .  .  . 

MARCO 

I  have  told  you  that  Prinzivalle  seems  wise ; 
that  he  is  reasonable,  humane  .  .  .  But 
where  is  the  man  so  wise  as  to  have  no  moment 
of  folly ;  so  virtuous  as  never  to  have  har- 
boured some  monstrous  idea  within  him?  .  .  . 
Are  not  our  reason,  our  pity  and  justice,  for 
ever  at  war  with  desire,  with  passion,  with  the 
madness  that  lies  so  near  to  our  soul?  .  .  . 
I,  myself,  have  succumbed  more  than  once, 
and  I  shall  again,  and  so,  perhaps,  will  you 
.  .  .  For  it  happens  thus  with  us  all !  A  sor- 
row awaits  you  that  should  be  no  sorrow 
perhaps,  could  you  consider  it  rightly  .  .  . 
And  I  who  see  so  clearly  that  this  sorrow  is 
out  of  all  proportion  to  the  wrong  that  will 
cause  it,  I,  for  my  part,  have  made  a  prom- 
ise still  more  foolish  than  is  this  foolish 
sorrow  .  .  .  And  my  foolish  promise  will 
be  foolishly  kept  by  the  sage  I  fain  would 
be;  the  sage  who  ventures  to  speak  in  the 
1 60 


Monna  Vanna 

name  of  reason  .  .  .  Should  you  reject  this 
offer,  I  have  undertaken  to  return  to  the 
enemy's  camp  .  .  .  And  what  will  await 
me  there?  Death  and  torture  will  prob- 
ably be  the  reward  of  my  absurd  loyalty 
.  .  .  And  none  the  less  I  shall  go  ...  Tell 
myself  as  I  may  that  I  am  merely  trick- 
ing out  folly  in  purple  that  I  may  delude 
myself,  I  still  shall  do  the  foolish  thing  I 
deplore;  for  I,  also,  lack  the  strength  that 
he  must  possess  who  would  listen  to  reason 
alone  .  .  .  But  I  have  not  yet  told  you. 
Ah,  see  how  I  lose  my  thread,  how  I  weave 
phrase  after  phrase,  pile  word  upon  word,  to 
retard,  be  it  ever  so  little,  the  moment  that 
must  decide!  But  I  wrong  you,  perhaps, 
by  my  doubts  .  .  .  See  them !  This  mighty 
convoy  that  my  own  eyes  have  beheld;  these 
waggons  laden  with  corn  and  wine  and  fruit ; 
these  flocks  of  sheep  and  herds  of  cattle, 
enough,  and  more  than  enough,  to  feed  a 
people  for  weeks ;  these  barrels  of  powder  and 
bars  of  lead  with  which  Florence  may  be  over- 
come and  prosperity  brought  back  to  Pisa ; 
all  these  shall  be  introduced  this  very  night 
into  our  city  if  you  will  send  in  exchange  and 
161 


Monna  Vanna 

deliver  to  Prinzivalle — and  she  shall  return 
with  the  first  rays  of  dawn — but  he  demands, 
in  token  of  victory  and  submission,  that  she 
come  alone,  and  clad  only  in  her  mantle.  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

Who?     Who  is  to  go?     You  have  not  told 
me    ... 

MAECO 
Giovanna. 

GUIDO 
What!  My  wife?  .  .  .  Vanna?  .  .  . 

MAECO 

Yes,    your    Vanna  ...  At    last    I    have 
said  it ! 

GUIDO 

But,  why  Vanna?     Are  there  not  a  thou- 
sand women  ? 

MAECO 

It  is  because  she  is  the  most  beautiful,  and 
he  loves  her    .  .  . 

GUIDO 

He  loves  her!  .  .  .  Where  has  he  seen  her? 
He  does  not  know  her! 
162 


Monna  Vanna 

MARCO 

He  has  seen  her.    He  knows  her,  but  would 
not  say  when  or  how    .  .  . 

GTJIDO 

But  she,  has  she  seen  him?     Where  have 
they  met? 

MARCO 

She  has  never  seen  him,  or,  at  least,  she 
does  not  remember    .  .  . 

GUIDO 
How  do  you  know  this? 

MARCO 
She  told  me  herself    .  .  ( . 

GUIDO 

What! 

MARCO 

Before  I  came  here  to  you    .  .  «, 

GUIDO 
And  you  told  her? 

MARCO 
All    ... 

163 


Monna  Vanna 

GUIDO 

What!  you  cannot  have  dared  to  hint  at 
this  infamous  bargain? 

MARCO 
Yes    ... 

GUIDO 

And  she  said?  .  .  . 

MARCO 

Nothing  .  .  .  Her  face  grew  white:  she 
left  me  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

Ah,  she  did  well!  .  .  .  That  was  better 
perhaps  than  loading  you  with  reproaches, 
and  throwing  herself  at  your  feet  .  .  .  Yes, 
that  was  better  .  .  .  She  turned  white  and 
left  you  ...  So  would  an  angel  have  done; 
that  is  like  Vanna  .  .  .  What  was  there  to 
say?  Nothing!  And  we,  too,  shall  say 
nothing  .  .  .  Come,  my  friends,  we  will  re- 
turn to  the  ramparts,  and  die,  at  least,  since 
die  we  must,  without  staining  ourselves  with 
dishonour  .  .  . 

MARCO 

Ah,  Guido,  the  ordeal  is  terrible,  I  know! 
164 


Monna  Vanna 

Now  that  the  blow  has  fallen  let  us  be  pa- 
tient, and  give  reason  time  to  discriminate 
between  duty  and  private  sorrow !  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

Duty !  My  duty  is  clear.  Your  mon- 
strous offer  entails  one  duty  on  me,  and  one 
duty  alone.  I  need  no  time  to  reflect. 

MARCO 

And  yet  must  you  ask  yourself  whether 
you  have  a  right  to  sacrifice  a  whole  people ; 
whether  thousands  of  lives  be  not  too  high 
a  price  to  pay  .  .  .  Did  your  happiness 
alone  depend  on  this  choice  I  could  under- 
stand your  preferring  death ;  though  to  me 
who  am  near  the  end  of  life — to  me  who  have 
seen  many  men  and  therefore  much  human 
sorrow,  to  me  there  can  be  no  moral  or 
physical  evil  that  is  not  preferable  to  death, 
cold  and  horrible  death,  with  its  eternal 
silence  .  .  .  And  here  many  thousands  of 
lives  are  at  stake ;  here  your  brothers  in  arms 
are  concerned,  their  wives  and  children !  .  .  . 
If  you  yield  to  a  madman's  frenzy,  then  the 
thing  that  seems  monstrous  to  you  shall  be 
165 


Monna  Vanna 

called  heroic  by  those  who  come  after.  For 
they  will  judge  with  calmer  eyes,  with  more 
justice,  and  more  humanity  .  .  .  Believe  me, 
nothing  can  equal  the  saving  of  life.  Virtues, 
ideals,  all  that  we  know  as  honour  and  loyalty, 
are  mere  trifles  compared  with  that  .  .  . 
You  would  seek  to  pass  through  this  ordeal 
like  a  hero,  unstained;  but  it  is  wrong  to 
believe  that  death  is  the  loftiest  peak  of  hero- 
ism .  .  .  The  most  heroic  deed  is  the  one 
that  costs  us  most,  and  death  is  often  far 
easier  than  life  .  .  . 

GUIDO 
Are  you  my  father? 

MARCO 

Yes,  and  proud  to  be  your  father  ...  In 
opposing  you  to-day  I  oppose  myself  also, 
and  I  should  love  you  less  did  you  submit 
too  readily  .  .  . 

GTJIDO 

Yes,  you  are  my  father,  you  have  given 
your  proof;  for  you,  too,  shall  choose  death 
for  your  share;  and  since  I  reject  this  loath- 
some compact,  you  shall  return  to  the  enemy's 
1 66 


Monna  Vanna 

camp,  and  there  moct  the  fate  that  Florence 
reserves  for  you  .  .  . 

MARCO 

My  son,  here  I  alone  am  concerned — a 
feeble  and  useless  old  man,  with  few  years  to 
live,  a  man  of  no  value  to  any — and  therefore 
did  I  tell  myself  that  I  might  still  humour  an 
ancient  folly,  nor  struggle  to  do  what  I  know 
should  be  done  if  one  indeed  sought  to  be 
wise  ...  I  know  not  why  I  shall  go  yon- 
der .  .  .  My  soul  has  remained  too  young 
in  this  old  body  of  mine ;  and  I  belong  to  a 
time  in  which  reason  had  little  to  say  .  .  . 
But  I  regret  that  so  many  influences  of  the 
past  should  keep  me  from  breaking  a  foolish 
promise  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

I  shall  act  like  you  .   .   . 

MARCO 

What  do  you  mean  ? 

GUIDO 

I  shall  follow  your  example.  I,  too,  shall 
remain  faithful  to  those  influences  of  the  past 

167 


Monna  Vanna 

that  you  now  regard  as  absurd,  though  you 
fortunately  still  permit  them  to  regulate 
your  conduct  .  .  . 

MARCO 

Where  others  are  concerned  I  cast  them 
from  me;  and  since  it  appears  that  your 
soul  demands  my  encouragement,  demands 
the  poor  sacrifice  of  my  word,  then  I  re- 
nounce in  my  heart  the  fulfilment  of  my 
promise,  and  come  what  may,  and  decide 
as  you  will,  I  shall  not  return  yonder  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

Enough !  There  are  things  a  son  must  not 
say  to  an  erring  father  .  .  . 

MARCO 

Say  what  you  would,  my  son:  let  your  in- 
dignant words  flow  freely  from  your  heart 
...  I  shall  regard  them  as  the  token  of  your 
most  legitimate  grief  .  .  .  Words  cannot 
alter  my  love  for  you  .  .  .  But,  while  curs- 
ing me,  let  reason  and  gentle  pity  take  the 
place  in  your  soul  of  the  maledictions  that 
leave  it  ... 

168 


Monna  Vanna 

GUIDO 

Enough  :  I  will  hear  no  more  .  .  .  Think ; 
and  try  to  consider  what  it  is  you  would  have 
me  do.  For  at  this  moment  it  is  you  who  are 
lacking  in  reason,  in  noble  and  lofty  reason ; 
you  whose  wisdom  is  troubled  by  the  fear 
of  death  .  .  .  Death  does  not  frighten  me 
...  I  can  still  remember  the  time  when  you 
enjoined  courage  upon  me,  before  your  own 
was  weakened  by  age  and  the  vain  study  of 
books  .  .  .  We  are  alone  in  this  room.  No 
one  has  beheld  your  pitiful  weakness ;  and 
my  two  lieutenants  arid  I  will  keep  the  secret 
that  we  shall,  alas,  not  have  to  keep  very 
long !  We  shall  bury  all  this  in  our  hearts ; 
and  now  let  us  turn  our  thoughts  to  the  final 
struggle  .  .  . 

MAIL  CO 

Nay,  my  son,  buried  it  cannot  be;  for 
years,  and  the  studies  that  you  deem  so  vain, 
have  taught  me  that  it  can  never  be  right, 
whatever  the  reason,  to  bury  the  life  of  a 
single  man ;  and  though  I  indeed  should  no 
longer  possess  the  courage  that  alone  finds 
favour  in  your  eyes,  I  still  have  another,  less 
dazzling,  perhaps,  less  highly  esteemed  by 
169 


Monna  Vanna 

men,  since  it  achieves  less,  and  men  admire 
most  that  which  brings  suffering  to  them 
.  .  .  This  will  enable  me  to  accomplish  the 
rest  of  my  duty  .  .  . 

GUIDO 
And  what  may  that  duty  be? 

MARCO 

I  shall  complete  what  I  have  so  unsuc- 
cessfully begun  .  .  .  You  were  one  of  the 
judges,  but  not  the  only  judge;  and  all  those 
whose  life  or  death  hangs  on  this  hour  have  a 
right  to  know  their  fate,  and  to  be  told  upon 
what  their  salvation  depends  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

I  do  not  understand  you.  At  least,  I  hope 
I  do  not.  You  were  saying  .  .  . 

MARCO 

That  on  leaving  this  room  I  shall  at  once 
inform  the  people  of  the  offer  that  Prinzivalle 
has  made  and  you  have  rejected  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

It  is  well!     Now  I  understand.     I  regret 
170 


Monna  Vanna 

that  idle  words  should  have  brought  us  to 
this,  as  I  regret  also  that  your  delusions 
should  compel  me  to  be  wanting  in  the  respect 
that  is  due  to  your  age  .  .  .  But  it  is  a 
son's  duty  to  protect  a  deluded  father  against 
himself;  and  while  Pisa  stands  I  am  master 
here,  and  the  custodian  of  her  honour  .  .  . 
Borso  and  Torello,  I  entrust  my  father  to 
your  care,  until  such  time  as  his  conscience 
shall  reawaken  within  him.  Nothing  has 
happened !  .  .  .  No  one  shall  know  .  .  . 
Father,  I  forgive  you ;  and  you  will  forgive 
me,  too,  when,  at  the  last  hour,  you  remember 
how  you  once  taught  me  to  become  master  of 
myself,  and  unafraid  .  .  . 


MARCO 

I  have  no  need  to  wait  for  the  last  hour  in 
order  to  forgive  you,  my  son  ...  I  should 
have  acted  like  you  .  .  .  And  you  may  im- 
prison me,  but  not  my  secret ;  for  that  is 
free,  and  can  no  longer  be  stifled  .  .  . 


GUIDO 

What  is  this?     What  is  this  you  say? 
171 


Monna  Vanna 

MARCO 

That  at  this  very  moment  Prinzivalle's 
proposal  is  being  discussed  by  the  Seign- 
iory .  .  . 

GUIDO 

The  Seigniory !     Who  can  have  told  them  ? 

MARCO 
I  told  them  before  I  came  here  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

You!  No.  No,  it  is  impossible!  How- 
ever great  your  fear,  or  the  havoc  that  age 
has  wrought  in  your  heart,  you  cannot  have 
delivered  the  one  joy  of  my  soul,  my  love,  the 
purity  and  beauty  of  our  wedded  life,  into  the 
hands  of  strangers,  of  miserable  shopkeep- 
ers, who  would  weigh  it  and  measure  it  as 
though  it  were  salt  or  oil !  .  .  .  I  cannot  be- 
lieve it.  ...  I  shall  not,  till  my  own  eyes 
have  seen  it  ...  And  then  I  shall  look  upon 
you,  you  the  father  whom  I  loved  and  thought 
I  knew,  whom  I  took  as  my  model,  I  shall  look 
on  you  with  no  less  horror  and  hatred  than  I 
do  on  the  vile  and  cowardly  monster  who  has 
besmirched  us  to-day  with  all  this  infamy! 
172 


Monna  Vanna 

MARCO 

You  speak  truly,  my  son.  You  do  not 
know  me ;  and  for  that  I  am  to  blame.  When 
old  age  came  upon  me  I  did  not  tell  you  what 
I  learned  from  it  every  day  concerning  life, 
and  love,  and  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  men 
.  .  .  Had  I  acquainted  you  sooner  with  all 
that  was  passing  in  my  heart,  with  all  the 
vanities  that  were  slowly  departing,  and  the 
truths  that  were  taking  their  place,  then 
should  I  not  be  standing  before  you  to-day 
like  some  unhappy  stranger  whom  you  are 
beginning  to  hate  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

At  least  I  rejoice  that  I  did  know  you 
sooner  .  .  .  And  as  for  the  rest  ...  it  is 
not  difficult  to  foretell  what  the  Seigniory  will 
decide.  To  save  themselves  they  have  only  to 
sacrifice  one  man,  and  that  is  so  simple !  Such 
a  temptation  would  force  a  nobler  courage 
than  one  has  the  right  to  expect  from  these 
poor  traders.  And  yet,  let  them  beware! 
That  is  asking  too  much.  That  is  more  than 
they  have  a  right  to  ask.  I  have  shed  my 
blood  for  them ;  by  day  and  by  night  have  I 
173 


Monna  Vanna 

toiled  and  endured;  through  this  whole  long 
siege  I  have  never  spared  myself.  But  that 
is  enough:  and  I  will  do  no  more!  Vanna  is 
mine!  She  belongs  to  me,  and  I  am  yet  in 
command!  My  Stradiotcs  will  at  least  re- 
main faithful ;  I  have  three  hundred  men  who 
will  listen  to  me  alone,  and  turn  a  deaf  ear  to 
the  counsels  of  cowards ! 

MARCO 

You  are  in  error,  my  son.  The  Seigniory 
of  Pisa,  the  citizens  whom  you  speak  of  so 
slightingly,  before  even  knowing  what  their 
decision  may  be,  have  in  this  crisis  given 
proof  of  an  admirable  nobility  and  courage. 
They  have  refused  to  owe  their  safety  to  the 
sacrifice  of  a  woman's  love;  and  as  I  left 
them  and  hastened  to  you,  they  were  sum- 
moning Vanna,  to  tell  her  that  they  placed  in 
her  hands  the  fate  of  the  city  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

What !  They  have  dared !  In  my  absence, 
they  have  dared  to  repeat  to  her  the  foul 
words  of  that  loathsome  satyr!  .  .  .  My 
Vanna!  .  .  .  When  I  think  of  her  tender 

174 


Monna  Vanna 

face,  that  fires  at  a  glance — of  the  shrinking 
modesty  that  makes  her  beauty  lovelier  still 
— my  Vanna  to  have  stood  before  these 
lecherous  old  men,  these  little  pale-faced 
hypocritical  traders,  who  have  always  looked 
upon  her  as  something  holy !  "  Go,"  they 
will  have  said  to  her,  "  go  yonder,  naked  and 
alone,  to  the  barbarian's  tent !  Do  his  bid- 
ding !  "  Ah,  truly,  it  was  noble  indeed  of 
them  to  have  used  no  violence!  They  knew 
that  I  am  still  here.  They  ask  her  consent, 
you  say !  And  mine — who  will  dare  ask 
mine  ? 

MARCO 

Have  I  not  done  so,  my  son?     And  if  you 
refuse  me  they  will  come  in  their  turn    .  .  . 

GUIDO 

Let  them !     Vanna  will  have  spoken  for  us 
both  .  .  . 

MARCO 

I  trust  that  it  may  be  so,  and  that  you  will 
accept  her  answer  .   .   . 

GUIDO 
Her  answer!     Can  you  doubt  it,  you  who 

175 


Monna  Vanna 

know  her,  who  have  seen  her  every  day 
since  the  one  when,  with  smiles  of  love  in  her 
eyes,  she  first  crossed  the  threshold  of  this 
very  room,  in  which  now  you  wish  to  sell  her? 
You  doubt  her  answer?  .  .  . 

MARCO 

My  son,  each  of  us  sees  only  in  others  what 
he  sees  in  himself,  and  knows  himself  only  to 
the  extent  of  his  own  consciousness  .  .  . 

GTJIDO 

That  is  doubtless  why  I  knew  you  so  ill! 
But  rather  than  that  these  eyes  of  mine  should 
a  second  time  be  so  cruelly  deceived,  I  would 
pray  God  that  they  be  closed  for  ever ! 

MARCO 

They  may  be  about  to  open,  my  son,  be- 
neath a  very  great  light  ...  I  say  this  be- 
cause I  have  noticed  a  certain  strength  in 
Vanna  that  you  have  not  seen,  and  it  is  this 
that  leaves  me  in  no  doubt  as  to  what  her 
reply  will  be  ... 

GTJIDO 

You    have    no    doubt !      Ah,    believe    me, 
neither  have  I!     And  I  accept  her  reply  in 
176 


Monna  Vanna 

advance,  blindly,  irrevocably!  If  it  be  not 
the  same  as  mine,  then  have  we  both  been  de- 
ceived in  each  other,  from  the  very  first  hour 
unto  this  one  of  sorrow  .  .  .  And  our  love 
will  have  been  a  mere  lie,  that  now  crumbles 
to  dust;  and  all  I  adored  in  her  will  have 
existed  only  in  this  poor  credulous  head  of 
mine,  in  this  poor  faithful  heart  that  knew  of 
one  happiness  only  and  worshipped  a  phan- 
tom .  .  . 

[Cries  of  "  Vanna,  Vanna,"  arise  from 
the  crowd  outside,  at  first  as  a  mur- 
mur, and  then  growing  louder  and 
louder.  The  door,  at  back,  opens, 
and  VANNA,  alone  and  pale,  ad- 
vances into  the  room,  while  men 
and  women,  who  seem  afraid  to 
enter,  try  to  hide  themselves  against 
the  door.  GUIDO  sees  her,  and 
rushes  towards  her.  He  throws  his 
arms  round  her  and  embraces  her 
feverishly.] 

GUIDO 

My  Vanna!  .  .  .  What  have  they  done, 
what  have  they  said  to  you !  .  .  .  No,  no,  do 
not  tell  me  ...  I  need  only  look  into  your 

177 


Monna  Vanna 

eyes — there  all  is  still  pure  and  loyal,  like  a 
fountain  that  angels  bathe  in  ...  Ah,  those 
foolish  men !  They  could  harm  nothing  of 
what  I  loved;  they  have  been  like  children 
who  throw  stones  in  the  air,  and  imagine  they 
can  hit  the  sky  ...  As  they  gazed  into 
your  eyes  their  words  will  nave  shrivelled  on 
their  lips  .  .  .  You  had  no  need  to  answer 
— you  will  merely  have  looked  at  them  .  .  . 
And  then,  between  them  and  you,  between 
their  thoughts  and  yours,  a  lake  will  have 
sprung  up,  a  limitless  ocean  of  life  and  love 
.  .  .  But  see,  there  is  one  here,  a  man  whom 
I  call  father  .  .  .  He  sinks  his  head;  his 
white  hairs  hide  it  ....  We  must  forgive 
him ;  he  is  old  and  blinded.  We  must  be 
merciful ;  we  must  make  a  great  effort ;  your 
eyes  say  nothing  to  him — he  is  so  far  from 
us  !  .  .  .  He  has  become  a  stranger ;  our  love 
has  passed  over  his  sad  old  age  like  an  April 
shower  that  falls  upon  flints  .  .  .  Our  love 
is  nothing  to  him ;  it  has  all  escaped  him 
.  .  .  He  thinks  that  we  love  as  they  do  who 
know  not  what  the  word  means  .  .  .  He 
cannot  understand,  he  needs  words  .  .  . 
Give  him  words ;  give  him  your  answer ! 
178 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

[Approaching  MARCO.]  My  father,  I 
shall  go  to-night. 

MARCO 

[Kissing  her  brow.]  My  daughter,  I 
know  .  .  . 

GUIDO 
What!     What  do  you  say? 

VANNA 

Guido,  I  shall  go.  I  must;  I  must 
obey  .  .  . 

GUIDO 
Obey?     Obey  whom?     Tell  me! 

i 

VANNA 

I  shall  go  to  Prinzivalle's  tent  to- 
night .  .  . 

GUIDO 

To  die  with  him,  to  kill  him?  That  had 
not  occurred  to  me.  Yes,  yes,  I  can  under- 
stand that ! 

VANNA 

Were  I  to  kill  him  our  city  would  not  be 
saved  .  .  . 

179 


Monna  Vanna 

GUIDO 

What!     You,  you  love  him  then!     Since 
when  do  you  love  him? 

VANNA 

I   do   not   know   him;   I  have  never   seen 
him    .  .  . 

GUIDO 

But  you  have  heard.     Yes,  yes,  you  have 
heard,  people  have  told  you    .  .  . 

VANNA 

Nothing.     Some  one  said  just  now  that  he 
was  a  very  old  man    .  .  . 

GUIDO 

He  is  not !  He  is  young,  he  is  handsome, 
much  younger  than  I.  God !  had  he  asked 
anything  else  I  would  have  gone  to  him, 
crawled  on  my  hands  and  knees,  to  save  our 
city !  Or  wandered  away  with  her  and  spent 
the  rest  of  our  life,  unknown  and  forgotten, 
begging  for  alms  at  the  cross-roads !  .  .  . 
But  this,  this !  Never  in  the  history  of  the 
world  has  a  conqueror  dared —  [Going  to 
VANNA  and  flinging  his  arms  round  her.] 
1 80 


Monna  Vanna 

Ah,  Vanna,  my  Vanna,  I  cannot  believe  it !  It 
is  not  your  voice  that  I  heard,  but  my  father's 
and  his  alone!  No,  I  have  heard  nothing; 
all  is  as  it  was  .  .  .  You  shall  tell  me  that  I 
am  mistaken,  that  your  love,  that  all  that  was 
you,  cried  out,  "  No,  no !  "  ashamed  even  at 
having  to  speak!  ...  I  tell  you  I  have 
heard  nothing,  nothing ;  the  silence  has 
been  unbroken  .  .  .  But,  see,  now  you  must 
speak  .  .  .  All  are  listening  .  .  .  No  one 
has  heard  .  .  .  All  are  waiting  for  the  word 
you  must  say  .  .  .  Say  it  quickly,  Vanna, 
that  they  may  know  you !  Quickly !  De- 
clare our  love,  and  dispel  this  dream  .  .  . 
Speak  the  word  I  wait  for,  the  word  that  must 
be  spoken  if  all  things  are  not  to  crumble  in 
ruins  around  me!  ... 

VANNA 

O  Guido,  I  know  how  hard  it  must  be  to 
bear    .  .  . 

GUIDO 

[Instinctively    thrusting   her   from   lumJ\ 

How  hard  it  must  be !     You  know,  you  know  ? 

Have  I  not  to  bear  it  all,  I  who  loved?     You 

never  have  loved  me!     No,  I  begin  to  see! 

181 


Monna  Vanna 

What  am  I  to  make  of  all  this  ?  .  .  .  You  are 
glad  to  leave  me;  you  love  this  man,  who 
knows!  Ah,  but  here  I  still  am  the  master, 
say  what  they  will!  .  .  .  And  you  think  I 
shall  stand  calmly  by  and  let  these  things  be? 
Beneath  this  room  is  a  dungeon,  a  dark,  cold 
dungeon,  and  there  you  shall  stay  while  my 
Stradiotes  keep  watch,  until  such  time  as  your 
heroism  shall  have  cooled,  and  you  learn 
where  your  duty  lies  .  .  .  Take  her  away! 
...  I  have  spoken ;  it  is  my  command !  Go, 
and  obey! 

VANNA 

Guido,    Guido,    I    need    surely    not    tell 
you  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

They  do  not  obey !  No  one  here  to  do  my 
bidding !  You,  Borso,  Torello,  have  your 
arms  turned  to  stone?  Can  my  voice  not 
make  itself  heard!  .  .  .  You,  down  there, 
you  others,  who  stand  and  listen,  can  you  not 
hear  me?  I  shout  to  them ;  they  do  not  move 
.  .  .  Take  her  away,  I  say !  .  .  .  Away, 
away !  .  .  .  Ah,  I  see  what  it  is !  They  are 
afraid;  they  want  to  live — to  live,  that  is  all 
they  care  for!  I  must  die  that  they  may 
182 


Monna  Vanna 

live ;  but  not  that  way !  .  .  .  No,  no,  that 
were  surely  too  easy  .  .  .  Here  am  I  alone 
against  the  crowd,  and  I  am  to  pay  for  it 
all  ...  Why  I,  and  not  you!  You  all 
have  wives !  .  .  .  [Half  drawing  his  sword 
and  approaching  VANNA.]  And  what  if  I 
prefer  death  to  dishonour?  .  .  .  That  had 
not  occurred  to  you!  .  .  .  But,  see,  I  have 
only  to  raise  my  hand 

VANNA 

If  your  love  bids  you,  Guido    .  .  . 

GUIDO 

"  If  your  love  bids  you  " !  Ah,  yes,  speak 
of  love,  you  who  never  have  known  what  it 
means !  You,  in  whose  soul  there  can  never 
have  been  any  love !  Now  as  I  look  at  you  I 
see  a  desert — a  desert  where  all  is  swallowed 
up,  parched  and  d}'ing  .  .  .  not  even  a  tear, 
not  a  tear !  .  .  .  What  was  I,  what  was  I  to 
you?  A  man  whose  arms  offered  shelter, 
that  was  all !  ...  Had  you  but  for  an 
instant  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Guido,  look  at  me,  look  at  me!     Can  you 
183 


Monna  Vanna 

not  see?  What  shall  I  say  to  you,  Guido? 
Have  I  words  to  tell  what  I  feel?  Let  me 
speak  but  one  single  word  and  all  my  strength 
goes !  .  .  .  I  cannot  ...  I  love  you,  I  owe 
everything  to  you !  .  .  .  And  yet  I  shall  go ; 
I  must,  I  must  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

[Thrusting  her  from  him.~\  It  is  well! 
Go;  get  you  hence!  Go  to  him,  I  give  you 
up.  Go !  You  are  mine  no  longer  .  .  . 

VANNA 
[Seizing  his  hand.~\     Guido!  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

[Pushing  her  away.~\  Ah,  do  not  clutch 
at  me  with  those  warm,  soft  hands  .  .  .  My 
father  was  right ;  he  knew  you  better  .  .  . 
Father,  here  she  is.  This  is  your  work,  finish 
it  now  to  the  end  .  .  .  Lead  her  to  this  man's 
tent.  I  shall  stay  here  and  watch  you  go  off 
together  .  .  .  But  do  not  imagine  that  I 
claim  a  share  in  the  bread  and  meat  she  will 
buy  .  .  .  There  remains  but  one  thing  for 
me,  and  that  you  shall  know  very  soon  .  .  . 
184 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

[Clinging  to  him.]  Guido,  look  at  me; 
do  not  turn  your  eyes  from  me — that  is 
too  dreadful  .  .  .  Let  me  see  your  eyes, 
Guido  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

See  then !  Look  into  my  eyes,  and  read 
.  .  .  Go,  I  know  you  no  longer!  Time 
presses — out  yonder  he  waits :  night  is  fall- 
ing .  .  .  Go!  what  have  you  to  fear?  I 
shall  not  kill  myself.  I  am  not  mad;  it  is 
only  when  love  is  triumphant  that  reason 
totters,  not  when  love  crumbles  ...  I  have 
gazed  into  the  very  depths  of  love,  ay, 
of  love  and  fidelity  ...  I  have  no  more  to 
say.  No,  no,  unclasp  your  fingers  ;  they  can- 
not detain  a  vanishing  love.  All  is  over, 
finished,  done  with ;  there  remains  not  a  trace ! 
.  .  .  The  past  is  engulfed,  and  the  future 
too  .  .  .  Ah,  yes,  those  pure  white  fingers, 
those  noble  eyes,  those  lips ;  there  was  a  time 
when  I  believed  .  .  .  Now  nothing  remains 
.  .  .  [Casting  VANNA 's  hands  from  him.] 
Nothing,  nothing,  less  than  nothing!  Fare- 
well, Vanna !  Get  you  gone.  Farewell  .  .  . 
You  go  yonder?  .  .  . 

185 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

Yes    ... 

GUIDO 

You  will  not  return?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Yes,  I  shall  return    .  .  . 

GUIDO 

As  to  that,  we  shall  see  .  .  .  Ah,  we  shall 
see  .  .  .  Who  could  have  told  me  that  my 
father  knew  her  better  than  I !  .  .  . 

[He  totters,  and  clings  to  one  of  the 
marble  columns.  VANNA  goes  out 
slowly  and  alone,  without  another 
glance  at  him.] 


1 86 


ACT    II 

PRINZIVALLE'S  Tent 

(Sumptuous  disorder.  Hangings  of  silk  and 
gold.  Arms  and  precious  furs  are 
strewn  about  the  place.  Great  chests 
lie  half  open,  revealing  quantities  of 
jewels  and  glittering  stuffs.  The  en- 
trance to  the  tent  is  from  the  back, 
through  a  heavy  curtain.  PRINZI- 
VALLE,  standing  by  a  table,  is  arrang- 
ing documents,  plans,  and  arms. 
Enter  VEDIO.) 


H 


VEDIO 

ERE  is  a  letter  from  the  Commissioner 
of  the  Republic. 


PRINZIVALLE 

From  Trivulzio? 

VEDIO 

Yes.     Messer  Maladura,  the  second  Com- 
missioner, has  not  yet  returned. 

187 


Monna  Vanna 

PBINZIVALLE 

The  Venetian  army,  that  threatens  Flor- 
ence from  the  Casentine,  is  probably  offering 
unexpected  resistance.  Give  me  the  letter. 
[He  takes  it  and  reads.]  He  sends  me  the 
formal  command,  under  penalty  of  immediate 
arrest,  and  for  the  very  last  time,  to  deliver 
the  assault  at  dawn  ...  It  is  well.  The 
night,  at  least,  is  mine  .  .  .  Immediate  ar- 
rest .  .  .  Ah,  how  little  they  know!  .  .  . 
Do  they  really  imagine  that  stale,  hackneyed 
words  like  these  can  bring  terror  to  the  man 
who  awaits  the  unique  hour  of  his  life!  .  .  . 
Threats,  arrest,  calumny,  trial,  judgment — 
what  are  all  these  to  me?  .  .  .  They  would 
have  arrested  me  long  ago,  had  they  been 
able,  had  they  dared  .  .  . 

VEDIO 

Messer  Trivulzio  told  me,  as  he  gave  me 
the  letter,  that  he  would  follow.  He  desires 
to  speak  with  you  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

Ah,  so  he  has  made  up  his  mind  at  last 
.  .  .  Our  interview  will  decide  many  things ; 
188 


Monna  Vanna 

and  this  wizened  little  scribe,  who  stands  here 
for  all  the  occult  power  of  Florence,  and  yet 
dares  not  raise  his  eyes  to  mine;  this 
wretched,  pale-faced  dwarf  who  hates  me 
more  than  death,  shall  spend  an  hour  he  has 
not  looked  for  .  .  .  Grave  orders  must  have 
reached  him  that  he  ventures  to  beard  the 
monster  in  his  den  .  .  .  What  guards  are 
at  my  door? 

VEDIO 

Two  old  soldiers  of  your  Galician  band. 
I  thought  I  recognised  Hernando,  and  the 
other,  I  believe,  is  Diego. 

PRINZIVALLE 

Good ;  they  would  obey  me,  those  two,  did 
I  tell  them  to  put  all  the  saints  of  heaven  in 
chains  ...  It  is  growing  dark;  have  the 
lamp  lit.  What  is  the  time? 

i 

VEDIO 

It  is  past  nine. 

PRINZIVALLE 

Marco  Colonna  has  not  returned? 
189 


Monna  Vanna 

VEDIO 

The  sentries  at  the  moat  will  bring  him  to 
you  the  moment  he  arrives. 

PRINZIVALLE 

He  had  been  here  ere  this  were  my  offer 
rejected  .  .  .  This  hour  decides  ;  and  it  holds 
all  my  life,  like  the  great  ships  with  flowing 
sails  that  prisoners  dream  of,  as  they  stare 
into  the  darkness  around  them  ...  It  is 
strange  that  a  man  should  thus  confide  all  his 
destiny,  his  brain,  his  soul,  his  joy  and  his 
sorrow,  to  a  thing  so  frail  as  the  love  of  a 
woman !  .  .  .  I  could  smile  at  it  myself,  were 
it  not  stronger  than  my  smile  .  .  .  Marco 
does  not  return  .  .  .  She  will  come,  there- 
fore .  .  .  Go,  look  for  the  beacon  which  de- 
clares her  consent  .  .  .  See  whether  the  light 
be  there  that  heralds  the  trembling  footsteps 
of  the  woman  who  gives  herself  that  the 
others  may  live,  and  saves  me  at  the  same 
time  as  she  saves  her  people  .  .  .  No,  stay — 
I  will  go  myself.  I  have  waited  for  this 
hour  since  my  boyhood,  waited  and  yearned ; 
and  no  eyes  but  mine,  not  even  those  of  a 
friend,  must  be  the  first  to  greet  its  coming 
190 


Monna  Vanna 

.  .  .  [He  goes  to  the  entrance  of  the  tent, 
flings  back  the  curtain  and  looks  into  the 
night.]  See,  the  light,  Vedio,  the  light !  See 
how  it  shines  and  flares  into  the  blackness ! 
.  .  .  From  the  Campanile — that  is  well,  that 
is  as  it  should  be  ...  See  how  it  pierces  the 
gloom!  ...  It  is  the  only  light  that  shines 
on  the  town  .  .  .  Ah,,  never  yet  has  Pisa 
lifted  to  the  skies  so  glorious  a  flower,  waited 
for  so  long  and  with  so  little  hope !  .  .  .  Ah, 
my  brave  Pisans !  You  shall  hold  festival 
to-night  that  will  linger  long  in  your  annals ; 
while  I  shall  know  a  diviner  joy  than  had  I 
saved  my  native  city  .  .  . 


VEDIO 

[Touching  his  arm.]      Let  us  return  to  the 
tent.     Messer  Trivulzio  comes  from  yonder. 


PEINZIVALLE 

[Coming  back  and  dropping  the  curtain.'] 
That  is  so.  We  must  still  .  .  .  The  inter- 
view will  be  brief  .  .  .  [He  goes  to  the  table 
and  fingers  the  papers  there.]  Have  you  his 
three  letters? 

191 


Monna  Vanna 

VEDIO 

There  are  only  two. 

PRINZIVALLE 

The  two  that  I  intercepted,  and  this  even- 
ing's order  .  .  . 

VEDIO 

Here  are  the  first  two.  You  are  crum- 
pling the  other  in  your  hand  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

He  is  coming  .  .  . 

[The  guard  raises  the  curtain.    Enter 
TRIVULZIO.] 

TRIVULZIO 

Have  you  observed  the  strange  light  that 
appears  to  be  flashing  signals  from  the  Cam- 
panile? .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

You  think  they  are  signals  ? 

TRIVULZIO 

I  have  no  doubt  of  it  ...  I  must  speak 
with  you,  Prinzivalle. 

192 


Monna  Vanna 

PRINZIVALLE 

Say  on.  Leave  us,  Vedio,  but  do  not  go 
far  away ;  I  shall  want  you.  [VEDIO  goes.] 

TRIVULZIO 

You  are  aware,  Prinzivalle,  of  the  high 
esteem  in  which  I  hold  you.  This,  indeed,  I 
have  already  proved  to  you  more  than  once, 
but  there  is  much  besides  of  which  you  are 
ignorant;  for  the  policy  of  Florence,  which 
people  term  perfidious,  though  it  be  merely 
prudent,  demands  that  many  things  should 
be  concealed  even  from  those  whom  she  ad- 
mits to  her  most  intimate  secrets.  We  all 
obey  her  profound  orders;  and  each  one  of 
us  must  courageously  support  the  weight  of 
her  mysteries,  which  are  the  emanation  of  her 
supreme  intelligence.  Let  it  suffice,  then, 
that  I  tell  you  that  I  had  a  very  good  share 
in  your  election,  notwithstanding  your  youth 
and  unknown  origin,  to  the  command  of  the 
most  magnificent  army  the  Republic  has  ever 
put  into  the  field;  nor,  indeed,  has  there  ever 
been  cause  to  regret  this  choice.  But  for 
some  time  now  a  party  has  been  forming 
against  you.  I  am  not  sure  whether,  in  re- 

193 


Monna  Vanna 

veallng  this  to  you,  I  am  not  allowing  the 
sincere  friendship  in  which  I  hold  you  to  in- 
fringe somewhat  upon  my  duty.  There  are 
often  occasions,  however,  when  a  too  narrow 
clinging  to  duty  may  work  more  mischief  than 
the  very  rashest  generosity.  Know,  there- 
fore, that  you  have  enemies  who  accuse  you 
most  bitterly  of  indecision,  vacillation,  sloth. 
Others  even  go  so  far  as  to  throw  doubt  upon 
your  loyalty.  Carefully  framed  slanders 
have  been  set  on  foot,  which  lend  colour  to 
these  insinuations.  They  have  produced  a 
disastrous  effect  upon  that  section  of  the 
Assembly  that  already  eyed  you  with  dis- 
favour. These  have  gone  so  far  as  to  dis- 
cuss your  arrest,  and  your  trial.  Fortu- 
nately, I  was  advised  in  time.  I  hastened  to 
Florence,  and  had  no  difficulty  in  opposing 
proof  to  proof.  I  stood  surety  for  you.  It 
remains  for  you  now  to  justify  my  confidence, 
which  has  never  for  an  instant  wavered;  for 
we  are  lost  if  you  do  not  act.  My  colleague, 
Messer  Maladura,  is  held  in  check  at  Bib- 
biena  by  the  troops  of  the  Venetian  Provedi- 
tor.  Another  army  is  marching  upon  Flor- 
ence from  the  North.  The  city  is  in  danger. 

194 


Monna  Vanna 

All  may  yet  be  well  if  on  the  morrow  you  de- 
liver the  assault  for  which  we  have  waited  so 
long.  This  will  set  free  our  finest  army,  as 
well  as  the  only  captain  whom  victory  has 
never  forsaken  ;  and  we  shall  be  able  to  return 
proudly  to  Florence,  amidst  the  pomp  and 
triumph  that  shall  turn  your  enemies  of  yes- 
terday into  your  most  fervent  admirers  and 
partisans  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

Is  this  all  you  have  to  say  to  me? 


TRIVULZIO 

Very  nearly ;  though  I  have  passed  over  in 
silence  the  very  real  affection  in  which  I  hold 
you,  which  has  indeed  grown  with  every  day 
of  our  intercourse.  And  this,  notwithstand- 
ing the  difficult  position  in  which  we  are  often 
placed  by  laws  that  seem  contradictory ;  laws 
which  demand  that  the  authority  of  the  gen- 
eral should  at  times — at  moments  of  danger 
— be  balanced  by  the  mysterious  power  of 
Florence,  whereof  I  am  to-day  the  humble 
representative  .  .  . 

195 


Monna  Vanna 

PRINZIVALLE 

This  order  that  I  have  just  received  was 
written  by  you? 

TRIVULZIO 
Yes. 

PRINZIVALLE 

By  your  own  hand? 

TRIVULZIO 

Undoubtedly.     Why  this  question? 

PRINZIVALLE 

These  two  letters — you  recognise  them? 

TRIVULZIO 

Perhaps.  I  know  not;  what  do  they  con- 
tain? ...  I  must  first  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

There  is  no  need.     I  know. 

TRIVULZIO 

Are  they  the  two  letters  you  intercepted, 
as  I  hoped  you  might?  ...  I  see  that  the 
test  was  good. 

196 


Monna  Vanna 

PRINZIVALLE 

You  are  not  dealing  with  a  child.  Let  us 
not  fall  back  on  such  wretched  tricks  as 
these;  or  prolong  an  interview  that  I  am 
eager  to  end,  that,  indeed,  delays  a  reward 
which  no  triumph  in  Florence  could  ever 
equal!  ...  In  these  letters  you  have  most 
basely  and  falsely  denounced  every  action  of 
mine.  Was  this  from  pure  malice,  or  to  pro- 
vide the  treacherous  avarice  of  Florence  with 
the  indispensable  excuse  for  dealing  cheaply 
with  a  victorious  mercenary?  ...  In  these 
letters  all  things  are  distorted  with  so  fiend- 
ish a  skill,  that  there  are  moments  when  I 
doubt  my  own  innocence.  My  every  action 
has  been  disfigured,  degraded,  besmirched; 
and  this  from  the  very  first  week  of  the  siege, 
down  to  the  hour  when  my  eyes  were  opened — • 
the  fortunate  hour  when  I  resolved  to  justify 
your  suspicions.  I  have  had  your  letters 
carefully  copied — I  have  sent  them  to  Flor- 
ence. I  intercepted  the  answer.  Your  word 
is  accepted,  you  are  believed :  the  more  readily 
inasmuch  as  you  had  been  supplied  with  the 
theme  of  your  accusation.  I  am  judged,  un- 

197 


Monna  Vanna 

heard;  I  am  condemned  to  death  .  .  .  And 
I  know  full  well  that  not  all  the  innocence  of 
the  archangels  could  help  me  to  escape  from 
the  damning  proofs  that  you  have  provided 
.  .  .  And  therefore  do  I  now  spring  forward, 
burst  your  puny  chains,  and  take  the  initia- 
tive. Hitherto,  I  have  been  no  traitor;  but 
since  these  two  letters  fell  into  my  hands  I 
have  been  preparing  your  ruin.  This  night 
I  shall  sell  you,  you  and  your  sorry  masters ; 
I  shall  deal  you  the  cruellest,  the  most  fatal 
blow  that  lies  in  my  power.  And  I  shall  re- 
gard it  as  the  noblest  deed  of  all  my  life,  thus 
to  have  humbled  the  one  city  that  exalts 
treachery  to  a  virtue,  and  seeks  to  govern  the 
universe  by  means  of  fraud  and  hypocrisy, 
lies,  ingratitude,  and  villainy  .  .  .  For  this 
evening,  thanks  to  me,  Pisa,  your  ancient 
enemy,  who  prevents  you,  and  shall  prevent 
you,  whilst  her  walls  stand,  from  spreading 
corruption  over  all  the  world — this  evening 
Pisa  shall  be  saved,  and  shall  lift  her  head  to 
breathe  defiance  once  more  .  .  .  Ah,  do  not 
rise,  or  make  vain  gestures  .  .  .  My  meas- 
ures have  all  been  taken,  and  they  are  inevit- 
able ;  you  are  in  my  power ;  and  even  as  I 
198 


Monna  Vanna 

hold  you  now  do  I  seem  to  hold  in  my  hand 
the  destiny  of  Florence    .  .   . 

[TRIVULZIO  draws  his  dagger  and  aims 
a  swift  blow  at  PRINZIVALLE.] 

TRIVULZIO 

Not  yet  .  .  .  Not  while  my  hands  are 
free  .  .  . 

[PRINZIVALLE,  warding  off  the  blow 
with  his  arm,  has  thrown  up  the 
weapon,  which  strikes  him  in  the 
•face.  He  seizes  TRIVULZIO  by  the 
wrist.] 

PRINZIVALLE 

I  was  not  prepared  for  this  spasm  of 
terror  .  .  .  See,  I  hold  you  now,  and  can 
crush  you  with  one  hand  ...  I  have  only 
to  lower  this  dagger  ...  It  would  seem  al- 
ready to  be  seeking  your  throat.  What,  you 
say  nothing?  are  you  not  afraid,  then? 

TRIVULZIO 

[Coldly.]     No;  use  the  dagger,  it  is  your 
right.     I  knew  my  life  was  forfeit. 
199 


Monna  Vanna 

PRINZIVALLE 

[Loosening  his  hold.~\  Ah  .  .  .  But, 
truly,  then,  this  tiling  is  strange  that  you 
have  done  .  .  .  And  even  very  rare  .  .  . 
There  are  not  many  soldiers  who  would  so 
readily  clasp  the  hand  of  death;  and  I 
should  not  have  thought  that  within  so 
feeble  a  body  .  .  . 

TRIVULZIO 

You  men  of  the  sword  are  only  too  apt  to 
believe  that  there  is  no  other  courage  than 
that  which  dwells  at  the  end  of  a  blade 


PRINZIVALLE 

You  may  be  right  .  .  .It  is  well  .  .  . 
You  are  not  free,  but  no  harm  shall  be  done 
you  .  .  .  We  serve  different  gods,  you  and 
I.  [He  ivipes  the  blood  from  his  face.] 
Ah,  the  blow  was  not  unskilful  ...  A  little 
too  hasty,  but  not  lacking  in  vigour  ...  It 
went  within  an  ace  of  ...  And  now,  tell  me, 
what  would  you  do,  if  you  held  a  man  in  your 
hands  who  had  been  so  nigh  despatching  you 
to  a  world  whither  no  one  is  anxious  to  go? 
200 


Monna  Vanna 

TRIVULZIO 

I  should  not  spare  him. 

PEINZIVALLE 

I  do   not   understand  you  .  .  .  You   are 

strange  .  .  .  Confess  that  it  was  a  despic- 
able thing  to  write  those  letters.  I  have  shed 
my  blood  for  Florence  in  three  great  battles ; 
I  have  never  spared  myself,  I  have  strained 
every  nerve,  the  gain  was  all  yours.  I  was 
a  faithful  servant  to  the  Republic,  nor  did 
one  single  thought  of  disloyalty  ever  enter 
my  heart  .  .  .  You  must  have  known  this, 
you  who  were  always  spying  upon  me  .  .  . 
And  yet,  in  your  letters,  some  vile  malice  or 
hatred  caused  you  to  distort  every  action  of 
mine,  every  step  that  I  took.  I  thought  only 
of  Florence;  you  heaped  slander  on  slander, 
and  lie  upon  lie  ... 

TRIVULZIO 

The  facts  were  fallacious — that  mattered 
but  little.  It  was  for  me  to  guard  against 
the  dangerous  hour  when  the  soldier,  flushed 
by  two  or  three  victories,  is  on  the  point  of 
no  longer  obeying  the  master  he  serves,  whose 
20 1 


Monna  Vanna 

mission  is  loftier  than  his.  That  hour  had 
sounded,  as  this  hour  proves.  The  people  of 
Florence  held  you  too  fondly.  It  is  for  us  to 
shatter  their  idols.  They  show  some  resent- 
ment at  the  time,  but  they  have  created  us 
that  we  may  oppose  their  dangerous  caprices  ; 
and  it  seemed  to  me  that  the  hour  had  come 
to  mark  out  their  idol  for  destruction.  I 
warned  Florence.  She  knew  what  my  false- 
hoods meant  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

The  hour  had  not  come,  and  would  never 
have  come,  but  for  your  shameful  let- 
ters .  .  . 

TRIVULZIO 

It  might  have  come,  and  that  was  suffi- 
cient .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

What !  Is  an  innocent  man  to  be  sacrificed 
to  a  mere  possibility?  Offered  up  in  cold 
blood  to  a  danger  that  never  might  threaten  ? 

TRIVULZIO 

What  is  the  life  of  one  man  to  the  safety 
of  Florence ! 

202 


Monna  Vanna 

PEINZIVALLE 

You  believe,  then,  in  the  destiny  of  Flor- 
ence, in  her  work,  her  existence?  She  must 
be  something,  then,  that  I  do  not  under- 
stand? .  .  . 

TRIVULZIO 

Yes,  I  believe  only  in  her;  the  rest  is 
nothing  to  me  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

After  all,  it  may  be  so  ...  And  you  are 
right,  since  you  believe  ...  I  have  no 
country,  I  cannot  tell.  There  are  times  when 
I  regret  that  I  have  no  country  .  .  .  But  I 
have  something  that  you  never  shall  have — 
that  no  man  ever  has  had  as  much  as  I  ... 
That  atones  for  all  ...  Go ;  let  us  part ;  we 
have  no  time  to  weigh  these  enigmas  .  .  . 
We  are  far  removed  from  each  other,  and  yet 
there  are  points  where  we  almost  touch  .  .  . 
Each  man  has  his  destiny  .  .  .  Some  follow 
an  idea,  and  others  a  desire ;  and  it  would  be 
as  hard  for  you  to  change  your  idea  as  for 
me  to  change  my  desire  .  .  .  Fare  you  well, 
Trivulzio;  we  go  different  ways  .  .  .  Give 
me  your  hand. 

203 


Monna  Vanna 

TRIVULZIO 

Not  yet.  I  shall  give  you  my  hand  on  the 
day  of  punishment  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

Be  it  so ;  to-day  you  have  lost ;  you  will  win 
to-morrow  .  .  .  [He  calls  "VEDIO!"] 

[VEDIO  comes  in.~\ 

VEDIO 

Master !  .  .  .  What,  you  are  wounded,  the 
blood  is  flowing  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

No  matter  .  .  .  Summon  the  two  guards. 
Let  them  take  this  man  away;  but  see  that 
they  do  him  no  injury.  .  .  .  He  is  an  enemy 
whom  I  love  .  .  .  Let  them  bestow  him  in 
some  safe  place,  where  no  one  shall  see  him 
.  .  .  They  answer  for  his  safety,  and  shall 
set  him  free  at  my  command  .  .  . 

[VEDIO  goes,  leading  TRIVULZIO. 
PRINZIVALLE  stands  before  a  mirror 
and  examines  his  wound.'] 

PRINZIVALLE 

The  wound  is  not  deep,  but  it  has  bitten 
204 


Monna  Vanna 

into  my  face  .  .  .  Who  could  have  thought 
that  so  feeble  and  haggard  a  man  .  .  . 
[VEDIO  returns.]  You  have  done  as  I  bid 
you? 

VEDIO 

Yes.     Master,  this  will  mean  ruin    .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

Ruin  !  .  .  .  Ah,  that  I  could  be  ruined  thus 
each  day  to  the  day  of  my  death !  .  .  .  Ruin, 
Vedio !  .  .  .  Why,  never  yet  in  this  world 
will  a  legitimate  revenge  have  brought  to  a 
man  a  happiness  like  mine — a  happiness  of 
which  he  has  dreamed  ever  since  he  first 
learnt  to  dream  ...  I  have  waited  and 
prayed  for  it!  I  would  have  allowed  no 
crime  to  stop  me,  for  it  was  mine,  it  be- 
longed to  me,  and  I  was  bound  to  have  it; 
and  now  that  my  star,  urged  on  by  justice, 
by  pity,  sends  it  to  me,  upon  its  silvery  rays, 
you  speak  of  ruin !  .  .  .  Oh,  poor  men  with 
cold  hearts !  .  .  .  Poor  men  without  love ! 
.  .  .  Do  you  not  know,  then,  that  at  this 
moment  my  destiny  is  being  balanced  in  the 
sky,  and  that  they  are  granting  me  the  share 
of  a  hundred  lovers,  the  share  of  a  thousand 
205 


Monna  Vanna 

joys!  .  .  .  Ah,  I  know  it!  ...  I  touch  the 
moment  when  those  marked  out  for  grand 
disaster  or  triumph  suddenly  find  themselves 
on  the  topmost  peak  of  their  life,  where  all 
things  belong  to  them  and  obey  them,  and 
become  moulded  to  their  hand !  .  .  .  And 
what  matters  the  rest,  and  all  that  comes 
after !  .  .  .  There  is  an  ecstasy  too  great  for 
man,  and  it  crushes  him  who  achieves  it !  .  .  * 

VEDIO 

[Approaching  him  with  a  linen  bandage.] 
The  blood  still  flows ;  let  me  bind  up  your 
face. 

PRINZIVALLE 

Yes.  Since  it  must  be  ...  But  see  that 
your  bandages  do  not  cover  my  eyes.  [LooA:- 
ing  into  the  mirror.]  Ah,  I  seem  more  like 
a  patient  shrinking  from  a  surgeon's  knife 
than  a  lover  who  soon  will  be  joyfully  welcom- 
ing his  love!  .  .  .  [He  shifts  the  bandage.] 
And  you,  Vedio,  my  poor  Vedio,  what  will 
become  of  you? 

VEDIO 

Master,  where  you  go  I  go  too  .  .  . 
206 


PRINZIVALLE 

Nay,  you  must  leave  me  ...  I  know  not 
whither  I  shall  go,  nor  what  will  become  of 
me  .  .  .  Do  you  make  good  your  escape; 
none  will  follow  you,  whereas  if  you  go  with 
your  master  ...  In  these  coffers  is  gold ; 
take  it,  it  is  yours,  I  need  it  no  longer  .  .  . 
Are  the  waggons  ready,  the  flocks  all 
gathered  ? 

VEDIO 
They  are  in  front  of  the  tent. 


PRINZIVALLE 

Good.  When  I  give  the  signal  you  will 
do  what  has  to  be  done.  [The  sound  of  a 
gunshot  is  heard  from  afar.~]  What  is 
that? 

VEDIO 

A  shot  has  been  fired  at  the  outposts. 


PRINZIVALLE 

Who  gave  the  order?  ...  It  must  be  a 
mistake    ...  If  they   should  have  fired  at 
her !     Did  you  not  tell  .  .  . 
207 


Monna  Vanna 

VEDIO 

Yes.  It  is  impossible.  I  placed  a  num- 
ber of  guards  there,  who  will  bring  her  to  you 
the  moment  that  she  arrives. 


PRINZIVALLE 

Go  and  see.  [Exit  VEDIO.] 

[For  a  moment  PRINZIVALLE  remains 
alone.  VEDIO  returns,  raises  the 
curtain  at  the  entrance,  and  mur- 
murs "  Master."  Then  he  with- 
draws and  MONNA  VANNA,  wrapped 
in  a  long  mantle,  appears,  and 
pauses  on  the  threshold.  PRINZI- 
VALLE trembles,  and  moves  toward 
her.] 

VANNA 

[In  a  stifled  voice.~\     I  have  come  as  you 
bade  me    .   .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

There   is   blood   on   your   hand:   are  you 
wounded?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

A  ball  touched  my  shoulder    .  .  . 
208 


Monna  Vanna 

PRINZIVALLE 

What?     When?  .  .  .  This  is  terrible 

VANNA 

As  I  drew  near  the  camp. 

PRINZIVALLE 

Who  fired  the  shot?  .  .  . 


VANNA 

1  know  not ;  the  man  fled. 

PRINZIVALLE 

Are  you  in  pain?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

No. 


VANNA 

No.    It  is  nothing.    [A  moment's  silence.'} 

PRINZIVALLE 

Your  mind  is  made  up?  ... 
209 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

Yes. 

PRINZIVALLE 

Shall  I  remind  you  of  the  conditions? 

VANNA 

There  is  no  need. 

PRINZIVALLE 

You  have  no  regrets?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Was  it  stipulated  that  I  should  come  with- 
out regrets? 

PRINZIVALLE 

Your  husband  consents?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Yes. 

PRINZIVALLE 

There    still    is    time   if   you    wish   to    re- 
nounce   .  .  . 

VANNA 

No. 

PRINZIVALLE 

But  why  are  you  doing  this? 
210 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

Because  out  yonder  they  perish  of  hunger, 
and  to-morrow  a  still  swifter  death  would 
await  them  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

There  is  no  other  reason? 

VANNA 

What  other  could  there  be  ?  ... 

PRINZIVALLE 

I  can  conceive  that  a  virtuous  woman  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Yes. 

PRINZIVALLE 

One  who  loves  her  husband  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Yes. 

PRINZIVALLE 

Deeply  ? 

VANNA 

Yes. 

PRINZIVALLE 

You  are  clad  only  in  your  mantle? 

211 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

Yes. 

PRINZIVALLE 

You  have  seen  the  chariots  and  flocks  in 
front  of  the  tent? 

VANNA 

Yes. 

PRINZIVALLE 

There  are  two  hundred  waggons  filled  with 
the  best  Tuscan  wheat ;  two  hundred  others 
laden  with  forage,  and  with  fruit  and  wine 
from  Sienna.  There  are  thirty  more  filled 
with  German  powder,  and  fifteen  smaller 
ones  laden  with  lead ;  and  around  them  are  six 
hundred  oxen  from  Apulia,  and  twelve  hun- 
dred sheep.  They  await  your  order  to  march 
into  Pisa.  Would  you  care  to  see  them 
start? 

VANNA 

Yes. 

PRINZIVALLE 

Come  then  to  the  door  of  my  tent. 

[He   raises    the   tapestry,   gives   the 

order,    and   makes    a    signal.       A 

sound  is  heard  as  of  a  vague  and 

mighty    movement.     Torches     are 

212 


Monna  Vanna 

kindled  and  waved  to  and  fro. 
Whips  are  cracked  and  -waggons 
creak.  There  is  the  bleating  of 
sheep  and  the  lowing  of  oxen. 
VANNA  and  PRINZIVAI/LE,  erect  on 
the  threshold  of  the  tent,  watch  for 
a  moment  the  enormous  convoy  as 
it  starts  forth,  with  torches  flaming 
in  the  starry  night.] 

PRINZIVALL.E 

From  this  night,  thanks  to  you,  Pisa  will 
cease  to  be  hungry.  She  is  invincible  now, 
and  to-morrow  will  know  the  glory  of  a  joy 
and  triumph  for  which  none  had  dared  any 
longer  to  hope  .  .  .  Are  you  satisfied? 

VANNA 

Yes. 

PRINZIVALLE 

Let  us  close  the  tent  then;  and  give  me 
your  hand.  The  evening  is  still  mild,  but 
the  night  will  be  cold.  You  have  no  weapons 
concealed  about  you,  no  poison? 

213 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

I  have  only  my  sandals  and  this  mantle. 
Search  me  if  you  are  afraid  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

It  is  not  for  myself  that  I  fear,  but  for 
you  .  .  . 

VANNA 

I  place  the  life  of  my  people  high  above 
all  ... 

PRINZIVALLE 

It  is  well,  and  you  have  done  right  .  .  . 
Come,  sit  here  ...  It  is  a  warrior's  couch, 
rugged  and  fierce,  narrow  as  a  tomb,  and  but 
little  worthy  of  you  .  .  .  Lie  here,  on  these 
tiger-skins,  that  have  never  yet  felt  the  gentle 
touch  of  a  woman  .  .  .  Place  this  soft  fur 
at  your  feet  ...  It  is  the  skin  of  a  lynx 
that  an  African  monarch  gave  me  on  the 
night  of  a  victory  .  .  . 

[VANNA  sits,  closely  wrapped  in  her 
mantle.] 

PRINZIVALLE 

The  light  of  the  lamp  is  falling  on  your 
eyes;  shall  I  move  it? 

214 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

It  matters  not    .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

[Kneeling  at  the  foot  of  the  couch  and  seiz- 
ing VARNA'S  hand.]  Giovanna!  .  .  .  [VANNA 
starts  up  in  surpise  and  looks  at  Jtim.~\ 
Oh,  Vanna,  my  Vanna  .  .  .  for  I,  too,  used 
to  call  you  thus  .  .  .  Now  I  tremble  as  I 
speak  your  name  ...  It  has  so  long  re- 
mained trebly  sealed  in  my  heart  that  it  can- 
not escape  without  breaking  its  prison  .  .  . 
Indeed,  it  is  my  heart,  it  is  all  I  have  .  .  . 
In  each  one  of  its  syllables  lies  all  my  life, 
and  as  I  pronounce  them  I  feel  my  life  flow 
from  me  ...  It  was  familiar  to  me;  I 
thought  I  knew  it;  I  had  said  it  again  and 
again  to  myself,  until  I  ceased  to  be  afraid: 
I  had  spoken  it  every  hour  of  every  day,  like 
a  great  word  of  love  that  one  yearns  to  utter, 
if  it  be  only  once,  in  the  presence  of  her  whom 
it  has  so  long  evoked  in  vain  ...  I  thought 
that  my  lips  had  shaped  themselves  to  its 
form ;  that  at  the  long-sought-for  moment 
they  would  pronounce  it  so  softly,  so  meekly, 
so  humbly,  with  so  profound  and  mighty  a 
215 


Monna  Vanna 

yearning,  that  she  who  should  hear  it  would 
know  the  distress  and  the  love  that  it  held. 
.  .  .  Whereas  to-day  it  is  merely  a  shadow. 
It  is  no  longer  the  same  .  .  .  My  fears 
and  sorrows  have  bruised  it  and  crushed  it, 
and  I  can  scarcely  recognise  it  as  it  leaves 
my  lips.  All  the  meaning  and  adoration 
that  I  have  placed  within  it  come  now 
to  break  my  strength  and  extinguish  my 
voice  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Who  are  you? 

PRINZIVALLE 

You  do  not  know  me?  ...  I  recall  no 
memory?  .  .  .  Ah,  the  marvels  that  time 
effaces!  .  .  .  But  it  is  true  that  I  alone  had 
seen  those  marvels  .  .  .  And  it  is  better, 
perhaps,  that  they  should  be  forgotten  .  .  . 
I  shall  hope  no  longer,  I  shall  have  fewer  re- 
grets !  .  .  .  No,  I  am  nothing  to  you  .  .  . 
A  poor  wretch,  who  for  one  single  instant 
wistfully  gazes  at  what  has  been  the  aim  of 
his  life ;  an  unhappy  man  who  asks  nothing, 
who  knows  not  even  what  it  is  he  should  ask ; 
and  yet  he  would,  were  it  possible  to  him,  tell 
216 


Monna  Vanna 

you  before  you  go  of  what  you  have  been  to 
him,  and  will  be,  to  the  very  end  of  his 
life  ... 

VANNA 

You  know  me  then?  .  .  .  Who  are 
you?  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

You  do  not  remember  the  man  who  is  look- 
ing at  you  now,  as,  in  a  fairy  world,  one 
would  look  at  the  very  source  of  one's  joy 
and  existence  ?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

No    ...  At  least  I  do  not  believe  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

Yes,  you  have  forgotten.  .  .  .  And  I  was 
sure,  alas,  that  you  had  forgotten !  .  .  .  You 
were  eight  years  old  and  I  twelve  when  I  met 
you  for  the  first  time  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Where?  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

At  Venice,  one  Sunday  in  June    .  .  .  My 
father,    the    old    goldsmith,    brought    your 
217 


Monna  Vanna 

mother  a  necklace  of  pearls.  She  was  ad- 
miring the  necklace — I  strayed  into  the 
garden  ...  I  found  you  there,  by  the  side 
of  a  pond,  in  a  grove  of  myrtle  ...  A 
slender  golden  ring  had  fallen  into  the  water 
.  .  .  You  were  crying  on  the  bank  ...  I 
sprang  into  the  pond  .  .  .  The  ring  was 
glittering  on  the  marble  basin ;  I  seized  it  and 
placed  it  on  your  finger  ...  I  was  nearly 
drowned  .  .  .  But  you  kissed  me  and  were 
happy  .  .  . 

VANNA 

It  was  a  fair-haired  child  named  Gianello. 
Are  you  Gianello? 

PRINZIVALLE 

Yes. 

VANNA 

Who  could  have  recognised  you?  .  .  . 
And  besides,  your  face  is  covered  with  band- 
ages ...  I  can  only  see  your  eyes  .  .  . 

PEINZIVALLE 

[Shifting  the  bandages.]      Do  you  know 
me  now  that  I  move  them  ? 
218 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

Yes,  perhaps  ...  I  seem  to  ...  For 
your  smile  is  still  that  of  a  child  .  .  .  But 
your  are  wounded,  the  blood  is  flowing  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

Ah,  it  is  not  my  first  wound  .  .  .  But 
that  any  one  should  have  hurt  you  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Let  me  adjust  your  bandage,  it  is  badly 
tied.  [She  winds  the  linen  round  his  cheek. ~\ 
I  have  often  tended  the  wounded  in  this  war 
.  .  .  Yes,  yes,  I  remember  ...  I  can  see 
the  garden  again,  with  its  pomegranates,  its 
roses  and  laurels.  We  played  there  more 
than  once,  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  sun 
shone  hot  on  the  sand  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

Twelve  times  in  all — I  kept  count  ...  I 
can  tell  you  each  game  that  we  played,  and 
every  word  that  you  said  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Then,  one  day,  I  remember,  I  waited — for 
219 


Monna  Vanna 

I  loved  you  well,  you  were  so  solemn,  so  quiet, 
and  treated  me  like  a  little  queen  .  .  .  But 
you  never  came  back  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

My  father  took  me  to  Africa  .  .  .  There 
we  got  lost  in  the  desert  .  .  .  Then  I  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Arabs,  the  Turks,  the 
Spaniards — that  was  my  life.  When  I  saw 
Venice  again  your  mother  was  dead;  the 
garden  lay  waste  ...  I  sought  you  in  vain 
.  .  .  Till,  at  last,  I  heard  of  you,  thanks  to 
your  beauty,  which  no  man  could  ever  forget 
who  once  had  beheld  it  ... 

VANNA 

You  knew  me  at  once  when  I  came  in? 

PRINZIVALLE 

Had  ten  thousand  women  come  into  my 
tent,  every  one  with  a  face  like  yours  and 
clad  alike  and  equally  beautiful,  ten  thousand 
sisters  whom  their  own  kindred  could  not  dis- 
tinguish, I  should  have  risen  and  taken  you 
by  the  hand  and  said,  "  This  is  she."  ...  It 
is  strange,  is  it  not,  that  an  image  one  loves 
220 


Monna  Vanna 

should  thus  be  able  to  dwell  in  the  heart; 
for  in  this  heart  of  mine  yours  lived  so  pro- 
foundly that  it  grew  and  it  changed  ...  It 
was  different  to-day  from  what  it  was  yes- 
terday ;  it  blossomed,  it  became  more  beauti- 
ful; and  the  years  adorned  it  with  the  gifts 
they  bring  to  the  budding  child  .  .  .  And 
yet,  when  I  saw  you  again  it  seemed  at 
first  as  though  my  eyes  deceived  me  .  .  . 
My  memory,  that  had  so  faithfully  treasured 
your  beauty,  had  yet  been  too  timid,  too  halt- 
ing; it  had  not  dared  to  endow  you  with  all 
the  glory  which  so  suddenly  flashed  on  my 
sight.  I  was  like  a  man  who  remembers  a 
flower  he  has  only  seen  once  as  he  crossed  the 
garden  in  twilight,  and  suddenly  beholds  a 
hundred  thousand  flowers  beneath  the  radiant 
light  of  the  sun  .  .  .  You  came  in,  and  I 
saw  the  brow  again  that  I  knew  so  well,  the 
hair,  and  the  eyes ;  I  saw  the  soul  in  the  face 
I  adored  .  .  .  But  its  beauty  humbled  the 
one  that  I  had  been  silently  storing  for  days 
and  days,  and  months  without  end,  and  year 
after  year — the  beauty  that  had  fed  on  a 
halting  memory,  and  fallen  so  immeasurably 
short  of  the  real  .  .  . 
221 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

Yes,  you  loved  me  as  one  loves  at  that  age ; 
but  time  and  absence  throw  a  glamour  over 
love  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

Men  often  say  they  have  loved  only  once 
in  their  life,  but  it  rarely  is  true  .  .  .  To 
disguise  their  indifference,  or  their  desire, 
they  lay  claim  to  the  wonderful  sorrow  of 
those  who  were  born  for  a  single  love ;  and 
when  one  of  these  tries  to  tell  of  the  deep  and 
the  dolorous  truth  that  has  furrowed  his  life, 
the  words  that  the  fortunate  lovers  have  used 
so  freely  have  lost  all  their  strength,  all  their 
gravity:  and  she  who  listens  will  uncon- 
sciously degrade  the  poor  sacred  words,  often 
so  full  of  sadness,  to  the  trivial,  playful 
meaning  they  have  for  the  majority  of 
men  .  .  . 

VANNA 

I  shall  not  do  that.  I  can  understand  the 
love  for  which  we  all  yearn  when  our  life 
begins ;  the  love  we  renounce  because  years — 
although  mine  are  few — put  an  end  to  many 
things  .  .  .  But,  tell  me,  when  you  passed 
222 


Monna  Vanna 

through  Venice  again  and  had  found  trace  of 
me — tell  me  what  happened  then?  You  made 
no  effort  to  see  the  woman  whom  you  had 
loved  so  deeply?  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

At  Venice  I  learned  that  your  mother  was 
dead,  that  her  fortune  was  lost,  and  that  you 
were  about  to  marry  a  great  Tuscan  noble, 
the  richest  and  most  powerful  of  all  in  Pisa, 
to  whom  you  would  be  as  a  queen,  adored 
and  happy  ...  I  was  an  adventurer  with- 
out a  home,  without  a  country — what  was 
there  that  I  could  offer?  .  .  .  Destiny 
seemed  to  demand  the  sacrifice  I  grudgingly 
made  to  my  love.  Ah,  how  often  have  I 
wandered  around  the  walls  of  this  city,  and 
clung  to  the  chains  of  the  gate,  in  my  fear 
lest  my  longing  to  see  you  should  overwhelm 
me,  and  disturb  the  love  and  the  happiness 
that  you  had  found  ...  I  hired  out  my 
sword,  I  engaged  in  two  or  three  wars ;  I  was 
a  mercenary,  and  my  name  became  known 
...  I  waited  for  the  days  to  come,  though 
hope  had  left  me ;  till  at  last  Florence 
despatched  me  to  Pisa  .  .  . 
223 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

How  feeble  and  cowardly  men  become  when 
they  love !  .  .  .  Understand  me  well ;  I  do  not 
love  you,  nor  can  I  tell  whether  I  could  ever 
have  loved  you  .  .  .  But  it  makes  the  very 
soul  of  love  leap  and  cry  in  my  heart  when  I 
find  that  a  man  who  pretended  to  love  as  I 
might  myself  have  loved,  had  not  more  cour- 
age in  the  face  of  love  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

It  was  not  courage  that  failed  me  ...  I 
had  need  of  more  than  you  think  to  be  able  to 
go  ...  But  it  was  too  late  .  .  . 

VANNA 

It  was  not  too  late  when  you  left  Venice. 
When  one  finds  a  love  that  fills  a  life,  it  never 
can  be  too  late  .  .  .  Such  a  love  never  re- 
nounces. Expecting  nothing,  it  hopes.  And 
it  persists,  still,  when  it  has  ceased  to  hope. 
Had  I  loved  as  you  say  you  loved,  then  I 
would  have  .  .  .  Ah,  one  cannot  say  what 
one  would  have  done  .  .  .  But  this  much  I 
know :  fate  should  not  have  wrenched  my  hap- 
piness from  me  without  a  struggle  ...  I 
224 


Monna  Vanna 

should  have  cried  to  fate,  "  Hence,  hence,  I 
pass  here !"...!  should  have  forced  the 
very  stones  to  side  with  me!  And  whatever 
the  cost,  the  man  whom  I  loved  should  have 
learnt  of  my  love,  and  himself  have  pro- 
nounced the  sentence,  and  pronounced  it 
more  than  once!  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

[Seekvng  her  hand.]     You  do  not  love  him, 
Vanna  ? 

VANNA 

Whom? 

PRINZIVALLE 

Guido. 

VANNA 

[Withdrawing  her  hand.]  Do  not  take  my 
hand.  I  cannot  give  it  to  you.  I  see  I  must 
make  myself  clear.  When  Guido  married  me 
I  was  alone,  almost  poor;  and  the  woman 
who  is  alone  and  poor  soon  falls  victim  to 
calumny,  especially  if  her  face  be  fair,  and 
she  scornful  of  artifice  or  falsehood  .  .  .  To 
these  calumnies  Guido  paid  no  heed;  he  had 
faith  in  me,  and  his  faith  pleased  me.  He 
made  me  happy ;  at  least  as  happy  as  one  can 
225 


Monna  Vanna 

be  when  one  has  renounced  the  vague  and 
extravagant  dreams  which  seem  beyond  human 
life;  and  I  almost  hope  to  convince  you,  too, 
that  one  can  be  happy  without  spending  one's 
days  in  search  of  a  happiness  that  no  man 
ever  has  known.  I  love  Guido  to-day  with  a 
love  less  strange  than  the  one  you  imagine 
you  feel;  but  mine,  at  least,  is  steadier, 
calmer,  more  faithful,  and  more  sure  .  .  . 
That  is  the  love  that  fortune  has  given  me ;  I 
accepted  it  with  my  eyes  open  ;  I  shall  have  no 
other;  and  if  anyone  breaks  it  that  one  will 
not  be  I  ...  So  you  see  you  have  misun- 
derstood me.  .  .  .  When  I  tried  to  point  out 
to  you  what  I  thought  was  an  error  of  yours, 
it  was  not  of  you  that  I  spoke,  it  was  not  of 
us :  I  spoke  in  the  name  of  a  love  of  which  a 
glimpse  descends  on  the  heart  at  the  very 
first  dawn:  a  love  which  exists,  perhaps,  but 
that  is  not  mine  or  yours ;  for  you  have  not 
done  what  such  a  love  would  do  ... 

PRINZIVALLE 

You  judge  me  harshly,  Vanna,  or  rather 
this  love  of  mine.     You  judge  it  with  all  too 
little  knowledge  of  what  it  has  done,  and  had 
226 


Monna  Vanna 

to  suffer,  in  order  to  bring  about  this  one 
happy  moment  that  would  most  surely  plunge 
every  other  love  into  despair  .  .  .  But 
though  it  had  done  nothing,  and  attempted 
nothing,  I  know  of  its  existence,  I  who  am  its 
victim,  whose  life  it  has  seized:  I  who  bear  it 
within  me,  and  have  lost  all  that  makes  for  the 
joy  and  glory  of  man!  .  .  .  Ah,  believe  me, 
Vanna,  and  you  must  believe  me,  for  I  am  of 
those  who  ask  for  nothing  and  hope  for 
nothing!  .  .  .  You  are  in  my  tent  now,  and 
at  my  mercy  ...  I  have  only  to  say  a  word, 
to  stretch  out  my  hand,  and  all  is  mine  that 
the  ordinary  lover  demands  .  .  .  But  you 
know  as  well  as  I  that  the  love  of  which  I  have 
spoken  craves  other  things ;  therefore  I  ask 
that  you  no  longer  doubt  me  ...  I  took 
your  hand  because  I  thought  you  would  be- 
lieve me  ...  I  shall  not  touch  it  again,  my 
lips  shall  not  press  it;  but,  at  least,  Vanna, 
when  we  shall  part  to  meet  no  more,  at  least 
know  what  kind  of  love  mine  has  been,  that  it 
halted  only  before  the  impossible! 

VANNA 

From  the  moment  that  it  could  regard  any- 
227 


Monna  Vanna 

thing  as  impossible,  is  not  doubt  permitted? 
I  demand  no  superhuman  ordeals,  no  terrible 
obstacles  to  be  overcome.  I  ask  for  no  proofs 
of  this  kind,  I  am  only  too  willing  to  believe 
.  .  .  Indeed,  it  is  for  the  sake  of  your  happi- 
ness, and  mine,  that  I  still  would  try  to  doubt 
...  In  a  love  as  mighty  as  yours  there  is 
something  sacred,  that  could  not  but  disturb 
the  coldest  of  women  .  .  .  And  therefore  do 
I  probe  into  what  you  have  done,  and  should 
be  almost  happy  could  I  discover  nothing 
that  bears  the  stamp  of  this  mortal  passion, 
on  which  fate  so  seldom  smiles  .  .  .  And  I 
should  have  been  convinced  that  I  had  found 
nothing,  but  for  this  last  act  of  yours;  for 
when  I  remember  that  you  have  madly 
wrecked  your  future,  your  fame,  all  that  you 
have  in  the  world,  to  bring  me  here  for  an 
hour  beneath  this  tent,  then  am  I  forced  to 
admit  that  possibly  your  love  may  be  what 
you  say  .  .  . 

PUINZIVALLE 

This  last  act  is  the  only  one  that  proves 
nothing  .   .  . 

VANNA 

How?  .  .  . 

228 


Monna  Vanna 

PRINZIVALLE 

I  prefer  that  you  should  know  the  truth. 
In  causing  you  to  come  to  me  here,  in  saving 
Pisa  in  your  name,  I  have  sacrificed  nothing. 

VANNA 

I  do  not  understand  .  .  .  Have  you  not 
betrayed  your  country,  effaced  your  past 
services,  ruined  your  future?  What  stands 
before  you?  Is  it  not  exile  or  death? 

PRINZIVALLE 

In  the  first  place  I  have  no  country.  Other- 
wise, had  my  love  been  never  so  great,  I 
should  not  have  betrayed  it  for  that  love 
.  .  .  But  I  am  only  a  mercenary,  faithful 
when  others  are  faithful,  a  traitor  when  they 
betray  ...  I  have  been  falsely  accused  by 
the  Florentine  Commissioners,  and  condemned 
without  trial  by  a  Republic  of  merchants, 
whose  ways  you  know  as  well  as  I.  I  was 
aware  that  I  was  lost ;  and  the  thing  I  have 
done  to-night,  far  from  hastening  my  ruin, 
will  perhaps  save  me,  if  that  still  be  possi- 
ble ... 

229 


Monna  Yanna 

VANNA 

So  what  you  have  sacrificed  for  my  sake 
counts  but  little? 

PKINZIVALLE 

It  counts  nothing  at  all  ...  I  could  not 
but  tell  you.  I  should  have  no  j  oy  in  a  smile 
of  yours  that  I  had  purchased  with  a  lie  .  .  - 

VANNA 

Ah,  Gianello,  Gianello,  this  is  worth  more 
than  love  and  its  noblest  proofs !  .  .  .  You 
need  no  longer  seek  the  hand  that  fled  from 
you  before.  Take  it  ... 

PEINZIVALLE 

I  had  rather  that  love  had  won  it!  .  .  . 
But  what  matter,  after  all !  ...  It  belongs 
to  me,  Vanna :  I  hold  it  between  mine,  I  drink 
its  fragrance,  I  live  its  life,  it  is  one  with  me 
— I  lose  myself  for  a  moment  in  the  sweet 
illusion  .  .  .  Ah,  the  dear  hand!  I  open  it, 
close  it,  as  though  it  could  answer  me  in  the 
secret,  mysterious  language  of  lovers ;  I  press 
my  kisses  upon  it,  and  you  still  let  it  lie  here 
.  .  .  You  forgive  me,  then,  the  cruel  ordeal 
to  which  I  exposed  you  ?  .  .  . 
230 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

I  should  have  done  the  same  thing;  better, 
perhaps,  or  worse,  had  I  been  in  your 
place  .  .  . 

TUINZIVALLE 

Did  you  know  who  I  was  when  you  agreed 
to  come  to  my  tent?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

No  one  knew.  There  were  strange  rumours 
.  .  .  According  to  some,  Prinzivalle  was  a 
horrible  old  man  ;  others  declared  him  a  young 
prince  of  marvellous  beauty  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

But  Guido's  father  saw  me;  did  he  say 
nothing?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

No. 

PRINZIVALLE 

You  did  not  question  him?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

No. 

PRINZIVALLE 

But  did  your  heart  not  fail  you  when  you 
231 


Monna  Vanna 

came  in  the  night,  helplets,  to  the  tent  of  an 
unknown  savage?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

The  sacrifice  had  to  be  made  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

And  when  you  saw  me? 

VANNA 

At  first  the  bandages  hid  your  face    .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

Yes,  but  afterwards,  Vanna,  when  I  raised 
them? 

VANNA 

Then  it  was  different,  and  I  already  knew 
you  .  .  .  But  you,  when  you  saw  me  enter 
the  tent — what  was  in  your  mind  then ;  what 
had  you  intended  to  do?  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

Ah,  how  can  I  tell !  .  .  .  I  knew  I  was  lost, 
I  had  the  wild  craving  to  drag  all  things 
down  with  me    ...  And  I  hated  you  because 
232 


Monna  Vanna 

of  this  love  of  mine !  I  marvel  now  at  myself 
when  I  think  of  it  ...  There  needed  but  a 
word  that  was  not  yours,  a  gesture  different 
from  your  gestures,  to  unchain  the  brute 
within  me  and  fan  my  hatred  .  .  .  But  the 
moment  I  saw  you  I  realised  how  impossible 
it  was  .  .  . 

VANNA . 

So  did  I  realise  it,  too,  and  all  fear  left  me, 
for  we  understood  each  other  without  a  word 
being  said.  And  it  is  all  very  strange  .  .  . 
I  should  have  done  this  thing,  too,  I  believe, 
had  I  loved  like  you  .  .  .  Indeed,  there  are 
moments,  as  I  listen  to  you,  when  I  fancy 
that  I  am  speaking,  and  that  your  words  are 
my  words,  and  you  hearing  what  I  am  say- 
ing ... 

PRINZIVALLE 

I,  too,  Vanna,  I  felt  at  once  that  the  wall 
which  divides  us  from  all  other  beings  was 
growing  transparent ;  it  was  as  though  I  had 
plunged  my  hands  into  a  flowing  stream,  and 
withdrawn  them  sparkling  with  light,  shin- 
ing with  confidence  and  sincerity  .  .  .  And 
it  seemed  to  me  that  men  were  changed, 

233 


Monna  Vanna 

that  all  I  had  hitherto  thought  had  been 
wrong  .  .  .  Most  of  all  did  I  feel  that  I 
myself  was  changed,  emerging  at  last  as  from 
a  long  imprisonment ;  that  the  gates  were 
opening,  flowers  and  leaves  entwining  around 
the  bars ;  that  the  snows  were  melting  on 
the  far  horizon,  and  the  pure  air  of  the 
morning  entering  my  soul  and  breathing 
upon  my  love !  .  .  . 

VANNA    . 

In  me,  too,  there  was  a  change.  I  was  sur- 
prised to  find  myself  speaking  to  you  as  I  did 
from  the  very  beginning  ...  I  am  habitu- 
ally silent  ...  I  have  never  spoken  thus  to 
any  man,  save  it  be  to  Marco,  Guido's  father, 
and  even  with  him  it  is  different  .  .  .  He  is 
wrapped  in  a  thousand  dreams ;  our  conversa- 
tions are  rare  .  .  .  and,  as  for  the  others, 
there  is  always  a  look  in  their  eyes  that  chills 
me.  How  dare  I  tell  them  I  love  them,  or 
that  I  yearn  to  know  what  is  passing  in  their 
heart?  .  .  .  Your  eyes  do  not  repel,  they  do 
not  alarm  ...  I  felt  at  once  that  I  knew 
you,  though  I  could  not  recall  where  it  was 
I  had  seen  you  before  .  .  . 

234 


Monna  Vanna 

PRINZIVALLE 

Could  you  have  loved  me,  Vanna,  had  my 
evil  star  not  brought  me  to  you  when  it  was 
too  late?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Were  I  to  tell  you  that  I  could  have  loved 
you,  it  would  be  the  same  as  my  telling  you 
that  I  love  you  now,  Gianello,  and  you  know 
as  well  as  I  that  cannot  be  ...  But  we 
speak  to  each  other  here  as  though  we  were 
on  a  desert  island  .  .  .  Were  I  alone  in  the 
world  there  would  be  no  more  to  say  .  .  . 
But  we  forget  the  suffering  that  another  en- 
dures, while  we  two  smile  at  the  past  .  .  . 
When  I  think  of  Guide's  sorrow  as  I  left 
Pisa,  the  despair  in  his  eyes,  his  haggard 
face — oh,  I  can  wait  no  longer !  .  .  .  Dawn 
must  be  close  at  hand,  and  I  am  so  eager  to 
know!  ...  I  hear  a  footstep,  some  one  is 
passing  the  tent  .  .  .  People  are  whispering 
behind  the  curtain  .  .  .  Listen,  listen !  .  .  . 
What  is  it? 

{The  sound  of  whispers  and  hurried 
footsteps  is  heard  outside  the  tent. 
Then  the  voice  of  VEDIO  from  with- 
out.] 

235 


Monna  Vanna 

VEDIO 

[Off.}     Master! 

PRINZIVALLE 

It  is  Vedio.     Come  in !     Well? 

VEDIO 

[At  the  entrance  of  the  tent.]  Quick, 
quick !  Master,  you  must  fly !  Lose  not  an 
instant !  Messer  Maladura,  the  second  Com- 
missioner of  Florence  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 
He  was  at  Bibbiena    .  .  . 


VEDIO 

He  has  returned  .  .  .  Six  hundred  Flor- 
entines are  with  him  ...  I  saw  them  pass. 
The  camp  is  in  uproar  .  .  .  He  brings 
orders  .  .  .  He  proclaims  you  traitor  .  .  . 
He  now  seeks  Trivulzio,  and  if  he  should  find 
him  while  you  are  still  here  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

Come,  Vanna   .    .    . 
236 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

Whither  shall  I  go? 

FRINZIVALLE 

Vedio,  with  two  men  on  whom  I  can  rely, 
shall  escort  you  to  Pisa  .  .  . 

VANNA 

And  you,  what  will  you  do? 

PRINZIVALLE 

I  know  not,  and  it  matters  little.  The 
world  is  wide  enough — I  shall  find  shelter. 

VEDIO 

Oh,  master,  beware!  They  hold  the  coun- 
try all  round  the  town,  and  Tuscany  is  full 
of  spies  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Come  to  Pisa. 

PRINZIVALLE 

With  you?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Yes. 

PRINZIVALLE 

I  cannot    .  .  . 

237 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

If  only  for  a  few  days  ...  to  put  them 
off  the  scent    .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

What  will  your  husband  do?  ... 

VANNA 

He    will    not    fail     in    hig    duty    to    n 
;  guest    .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 
Will  he  believe  you  when  you  tell  him  ?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Yes    .   .  .  — If  he  did  not  believe  me  ... 
But  he  will,  he  must    .  .  .  — Come    .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

No. 

VANNA 

Why? — What  do  you  fear? 

PEINZIVALLE 

It  is  for  you  that  I  fear    .  .  . 

VANNA 

For  me?     For  me  the  danger  is  the  same 
238 


Monna  Vanna 

whether  I  be  alone  or  with  you.  It  is  for 
you  we  must  fear,  for  you  who  have  saved 
Pisa;  now  it  is  right  that  Pisa  should  save 
you  .  .  .  You  come  under  my  protection, 
and  I  stand  surety  for  you  .  .  . 


PRINZIVALLE 

So  be  it:  I  will  go  with  you    .  .  . 

VANNA 

You  could  give  me  no  better  proof  of  your 
love  .  .  .  Come.  Let  us  lose  no  time  .  .  . 
Throw  open  the  tent  .  .  . 

[PRINZIVALLE,  followed  by  VANNA, 
moves  to  the  entrance  and  throws 
the  tapestry  wide  open.  There  is 
a  vast  murmur  of  voices  and  clash- 
ing of  arms;  but  above  all  is  heard 
the  sound  of  distant  bells,  pealing 
joyfully,  that  burst  sharply  upon 
the  silence  of  the  night.  Far  away 
in  the  distance  Pisa  is  seen  on  the 
horizon,  brilliantly  illuminated. 
Great  bonfires  throw  a  mighty  glare 
on  the  dark  sky.~\ 

239 


Monna  Vanna 

PRINZIVALLE 

Look,  Vanna,  look! 

VANNA 

What  is  it,  Gianello?  .  .  .  Oh,  I  under- 
stand! .  .  .  These  are  the  fires  of  joy  that 
they  have  kindled,  to  celebrate  what  you  have 
done  .  .  .  The  walls  are  aglow,  the  ram- 
parts glitter,  the  Campanile  shines  like  a 
torch  of  gladness.  See  how  the  radiant 
towers  are  whispering  to  the  stars  !  .  .  .  And 
the  very  streets  are  reflected  in  the  sky :  I  can 
recognise  the  road  I  trod  this  evening!  .  .  . 
There  is  the  piazza  with  its  dome  of  fire; 
and  the  Camp  Santo,  that  makes  an  island  of 
shadows !  .  .  .  One  could  almost  imagine 
that  life,  but  now  at  its  very  last  gasp,  had 
rushed  back  to  Pisa,  leaping  from  spire  to 
spire,  flinging  itself  across  the  skies,  flooding 
the  walls,  the  whole  country,  and  now  mak- 
ing signals  to  us,  and  calling  us  back  .  .  . 
Listen,  listen !  .  .  .  Hark  to  the  shouts,  the 
ecstasy,  the  delirium,  rising  and  swelling,  as 
though  the  sea  were  invading  Pisa!  .  .  . 
Hark  to  the  bells,  the  bells  that  sound  as  they 
did  at  my  wedding  .  .  .  Ah,  I  am  happy, 
240 


Monna  Vanna 

happy,  and  happiest  of  all  to  owe  my  happi- 
ness to  you,  to  you  who  have  loved  me  best! 
.  .  .  Come,  my  Gianello !  [She  kisses  him  on 
the  fcroa?.]  That  is  the  only  kiss  I  can  give 
you  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

Oh,  my  Giovanna,  it  is  the  most  exquisite 
kiss  that  love  could  hope  for!  .  .  .  But  see, 
you  tremble ;  your  knees  bend  under  you ! 
.  .  .  Come,  lean  on  me,  put  your  arm  round 
me  .  .  . 

VANNA 

It  is  nothing:  I  am  faint — I  have  over- 
taxed my  strength.  Help  me,  carry  me ! 
Let  nothing  hinder  my  first  happy  steps 
.  .  .  How  beautiful  is  the  night  beneath  the 
wakening  dawn !  .  .  .  Quick !  Let  us  hasten, 
it  is  time.  We  must  arrive  before  the  joy 
has  faded  .  .  . 

[They  go  out  together,  PEINZIVALLE 
supporting  VANNA.] 


241 


ACT  in 

State  Apartment  of  GUIDO  COLONNA 

(Lofty  windows,  porticos,  marble  columns, 
$c.  To  the  left,  at  back,  a  terrace, 
the  approach  to  which  is  by  a  great 
double  staircase.  On  the  balustrade 
of  the  terrace  are  huge  vases  filled  with 
•flowers.  In  the  centre  of  the  room, 
between  the  columns,  ample  marble 
steps  lead  to  the  terrace,  which  com- 
mands a  view  over  a  great  part  of  the 
town.  Enter  MARCO,  GUIDO,  BORSO, 
and  TORELLO.) 

GUIDO 

I    YIELDED  to  you,  to  her,  to  every  one ; 
but  now  it  is  only  just  that  I  should  have 
my  turn.    I  have  been  silent,  I  have  held  my 
breath,  I  have  hidden — as   a  coward  might 
hide  while  thieves  are  plundering  his  house. 
242 


Monna  Vanna 

But,  in  my  degradation,  I  have  still  re- 
tained my  honour  .  .  .  You  have  made  a 
tradesman  of  me,  a  huckster,  a  weaver  of  cun- 
ning bargains  .  .  .  But  now  the  dawn  has 
come  ...  I  have  not  budged  from  my  place 
...  A  contract  was  made,  I  had  to  respect 
it:  I  had  to  purchase  your  food  .  .  .  This 
night,  this  noble  night,  belonged  to  the 
buyer  ,  .  .  Ah,  who  knows,  it  was  not  too 
high  a  price,  perhaps,  to  pay  for  this  wheatj 
for  all  these  sheep  and  oxen  .  .  .  Now  you 
have  eaten  your  fill,  and  I  have  paid  .  .  . 
Now  I  am  free,  I  am  master  once  more ;  and 
I  hurl  my  shame  from  me!  ... 

MARCO 

My  son,  I  know  not  what  your  intentions 
may  be,  and  no  one  has  the  right  to  intrude 
upon  a  grief  like  yours  .  .  .  Words  cannot 
soften  it,  and  I  can  well  understand  that  the 
happiness  which  it  has  caused,  which  sur- 
rounds you  on  every  side,  can  only  embitter 
it,  and  render  it  more  poignant  .  .  .  The 
city  is  saved,  but  we  almost  regret  the  salva- 
tion which  has  cost  you  so  dear;  and  we 
bend  our  heads  before  you  who  have  had  to 
243 


Monna  Vanna 

bear  the  whole  burden  .  .  .  And  yet,  could 
we  recall  yesterday,  I  should  still  have  to  act 
as  I  did,  mark  out  the  same  victims,  and 
plead  for  the  same  injustice ;  for  the  man  who 
would  be  just  is  compelled  all  his  life  sorrow- 
fully to  choose  between  two  or  three  acts  of 
varying  injustice  ...  I  know  not  what  to 
say  to  you;  but  if  this  voice  of  mine  that 
once  you  loved  could  for  the  last  time  reach 
your  heart,  I  would  beg  of  you,  my  son,  not 
blindly  to  follow  the  first  counsels  of  anger 
and  grief  .  .  .  Wait,  at  least,  until  the 
dangerous  hour  be  past  which  impels  us  to 
utter  words  that  cannot  be  recalled  .  .  . 
Vanna  will  soon  be  here.  Do  not  judge  her 
to-day.  Do  nothing  irrevocable  .  .  .  For 
all  that  one  does  and  says  beneath  the  empire 
of  an  overpowering  grief  is  so  naturally,  so 
cruelly,  irrevocable!  .  .  .  Vanna  will  return, 
rejoicing,  despairing  .  .  .  Do  not  reproach 
her  ...  If  you  do  not  feel  yourself  strong 
enough  to  speak  to  her  as  you  will  speak  after 
many  days,  let  some  time  pass  before  you  see 
her  .  .  .  For  in  us  poor  creatures,  who  are 
merely  the  playthings  of  irresistible  forces, 
there  resides  so  much  goodness,  and  justice, 
244 


Monna  Vanna 

and  wisdom,  in  the  years  that  pass ;  and  the 
only  words  that  count,  that  we  must  eagerly 
grope  for  when  misfortune  blinds  us,  are 
those  that  we  shall  pronounce  when  full  un- 
derstanding has  come,  when  we  have  forgiven 
and  once  more  begun  to  love  .  .  . 

GTJIDO 

You  have  finished?  It  is  well.  This  is  no 
longer  the  hour  for  honeyed  phrases,  nor  is 
there  any  one  here  to-day  whom  they  still  can 
deceive  ...  I  have  suffered  you,  and  for 
the  last  time,  to  say  what  you  had  to  say ;  for 
I  was  curious  to  know  what  your  wisdom 
could  offer  me  in  exchange  for  the  life  it  has 
so  effectually  ruined  .  .  .  See  what  it  gives 
me!  To  wait,  to  be  patient,  to  accept,  for- 
get, to  pardon  and  weep!  .  .  .  Well,  no! 
That  does  not  suffice !  .  .  .  I  had  rather  not 
be  wise,  and  get  rid  of  my  shame !  Words 
cannot  do  this  for  me  .  .  .  And  as  for  my 
intentions,  they  are  very  simple — I  shall  act 
as  you  would  have  urged  me  to  act  but  a 
few  years  ago.  A  man  has  taken  Vanna 
from  me;  Vanna  is  no  longer  mine  while  this 
man  exists.  For  I,  you  see,  am  guided  by 

245 


Monna  Vanna 

other  rules  than  those  that  govern  the  verb 
and  the  adjective.  I  obey  the  great  law  be- 
fore which  every  man  bends  whose  heart  is 
alive  within  him  .  .  .  Pisa  has  food  now, 
weapons;  she  can  eat,  she  can  fight;  very 
well,  I  claim  my  share.  From  this  day  on- 
wards her  fighting  men  are  mine,  or,  at  least, 
the  best  of  them — those  I  myself  recruited 
and  paid  for,  out  of  my  purse.  I  have  dis- 
charged my  duty  to  Pisa — now  I  demand  my 
own.  These  men  shall  not  go  back  to  her  un- 
til they  have  done  what  I  in  my  turn  have 
now  the  right  to  exact  ...  As  for  the  rest 
— for  Vanna — I  forgive  her,  or  shall  forgive 
her  when  this  man  has  ceased  to  be  ...  She 
has  been  deceived,  she  has  been  led  astray ; 
but,  at  least,  there  was  heroism  in  what  she 
did  .  .  .  The  foulest  advantage  was  taken 
of  her  mercy,  her  greatness  of  soul  ...  Be 
it  so  ...  To  forget  may  be  impossible ;  but 
at  least  this  deed  of  hers  may  fade  so  remotely 
into  the  past  that  it  shall  hide  itself  from 
the  love  that  seeks  it  ...  But  there  exists 
one  creature  whom  I  shall  never  behold  with- 
out shame  and  horror  ...  A  man  is  here 
whose  sole  mission  in  life  was  to  be  the  guide, 
246 


Monna  Vanna 

the  prop,  of  a  great  and  noble  happiness.  He 
has  become  its  enemy,  and  its  scourge;  and 
there  shall  happen  before  you  all  a  thing  that 
is  terrible  and  yet  is  just  .  .  .  You  shall 
see  a  son,  who,  in  a  world  for  a  moment  out 
of  gear,  judges  his  own  father,  denies  him, 
and  curses  him ;  thrusts  him  from  his  pres- 
ence, despises  and  hates  him !  .  .  . 

MARCO 

Curse  me,  my  son,  but  pardon  her  ...  If 
there  be  in  this  heroic  act  that  has  saved  so 
many  lives  a  fault  that  cannot  be  pardoned, 
then  is  that  fault  all  mine,  but  the  heroism 
hers  .  .  .  My  advice  was  good;  but  advice 
was  easy  for  me,  who  bore  no  share  in  the 
sacrifice;  and  to-day,  when  it  deprives  me  of 
all  that  I  hold  dearest  in  the  world,  it  seems 
still  better  to  me  than  it  did  before  ...  I 
have  no  right  to  quarrel  with  your  judgment ; 
when  I  was  younger  I  should  have  judged  like 
you  ...  I  go,  my  son,  and  you  shall  behold 
me  no  more ;  I  can  well  understand  that  my 
presence  is  odious  to  you — and  yet  I  shall  try 
to  see  you  again  without  being  seen  by  you 
.  .  .  And  since  I  depart,  scarce  daring  to 
247 


Monna  Vanna 

hope  that  I  may  live  to  see  the  hour  when  you 
will  pardon  the  wrong  I  have  done  you — for 
my  own  past  reminds  me  that  pardon  comes 
slowly  when  one  is  still  in  the  prime  of  life — 
since  I  leave  you  thus,  let  me,  at  least,  be 
convinced  that  I  take  with  me  all  your  hatred 
and  bitterness,  all  your  cruel  memories ;  and 
that  none  will  remain  for  her  who  is  to  come 
.  .  .  Beyond  this  I  have  but  one  prayer  .  .  . 
Let  me,  and  for  the  last  time,  see  her  throw 
herself  into  your  arms  .  .  .  Then  I  shall  go 
without  a  murmur,  without  deeming  you  un- 
just ...  It  is  good  that  in  human  sorrow 
the  oldest  should  take  on  his  shoulders  all 
that  he  can  bear ;  seeing  that  he  has  but  few 
steps  before  him  ere  his  burden  shall  fall 
aside  .  .  . 

[Already  during  MARCO'S  last  words, 
a  vague  and  mighty  murmur  has 
been  heard  from  without.  In  the 
silence  that  follows,  this  noise  in- 
creases, drawing  nearer  and  becom- 
ing more  and  more  distinct.  First 
there  is  an  expectant  stir,  then  still 
distant  shouts  of  a  crowd  rushing 
from  point  to  point.  Soon  the 
248 


Monna  Vanna 

vague  cries  take  form,  and  one 
hears  from  all  sides,  more  and  more 
clearly,  repeated  a  thousand  times, 
**  Vanna,  Vanna,  our  Monna  Vanna! 
Glory  to  Monna  Vanna,  Vanna, 
Vanna,  Vanna! "] 

MARCO 

[Rushing  to  the  porticos  that  open  on  to 
the  terrace.]  It  is  Vanna!  .  .  .  She  returns! 
.  .  .  She  is  there!  .  .  .  They  acclaim  her; 
they  acclaim  her !  Listen,  listen ! 

[BORSO  and  TOREI/LO  -follow  him  to 
the  terrace,  -while  GUIDO  remains 
alone,  leaning  against  a  pillar  and 
looking  straight  before  him.  All 
this  time  the  noise  from  without  be- 
comes louder  and  draws  rapidly 
nearer.] 

MARCO 

\0n  the  terrace.]  Ah,  see!  The  square, 
the  streets,  the  windows,  the  trees,  are  all 
black  with  waving  heads  and  arms !  The 
roofs,  the  tiles,  the  leaves,  would  seem  to  be 
changed  into  men !  .  .  .  But  where  is  Vanna? 
249 


Monna  Vanna 

I  see  only  a  cloud  that  shuts  and  opens  .  .  . 
Borso,  my  poor  eyes  play  me  false  and  betray 
my  love  "...  Old  age  and  tears  are  blinding 
them  .  .  .  They  cannot  see  the  one  creature 
they  yearn  for  .  .  .  Where  is  she,  where  is 
she?  .  .  .  Which  way  must  I  go  to  meet 
her?  .  .  . 

BORSO 

[Holding  him  back.']  No ;  do  not  go  down ; 
the  people  are  wild,  they  have  lost  all  control. 
They  are  mad  with  excitement;  women  are 
fainting,  men  trodden  under  foot!  .  .  .  Be- 
sides, it  is  useless;  she  comes,  there  she  is, 
there  she  is!  ...  See,  she  raises  her  head! 
.  .  .  She  sees  us !  .  .  .  She  is  hurrying  to 
us!  Ah,  she  looks  up  and  smiles!  .  .  . 

MARCO 

You  see  her,  but  I  cannot!  .  .  .  These 
moribund  eyes  of  mine  can  distinguish  noth- 
ing! .  .  .  For  the  first  time  I  curse  the  old 
age  that  has  taught  me  so  much,  and  now 
hides  this  one  thing  from  me!  ...  But  you 
who  can  see  her,  tell  me  how  does  she  look? 
,  .  .  Can  you  see  her  face? 
250 


Monna  Vanna 

BORSO 

She  returns  in  triumph  .  .  .  She  seems  to 
shine  on  the  people  .  .  . 

TORELLO 

But  who  is  the  man  who  is  walking  by  her 
side  ? 

BORSO 

I  know  not  ...  I  never  have  seen  him; 
he  hides  his  face  .  .  . 

MARCO 

Hark,  how  they  shout !  .  .  .  The  whole 
palace  trembles;  the  flowers  fall  from  the 
vases  on  to  the  steps  .  .  .  The  very  flag- 
stones seem  to  be  rising  beneath  us  to  sweep 
us  along  in  this  overpowering  gladness 
.  .  .  Ah,  I  begin  to  see  .  .  .  They  are  close 
to  the  gates !  The  crowd  divides  .  .  . 

BORSO 

Yes,  before  Vanna.  They  are  making  a 
lane  for  her,  a  lane  of  triumph,  of  love  .  .  . 
In  her  path  they  throw  flowers,  palm  leaves, 
jewels  ....  Mothers  hold  out  their  chil- 
dren for  her  to  touch;  men  stoop  to  kiss  the 

251 


Monna  Vanna 

stones  her  feet  have  trodden  ...  Be  careful, 
they  are  too  near  us.  They  are  mad  with 
joy  ...  If  they  reach  these  steps  we  shall 
all  be  swept  away  .  .  .  Ah,  it  is  well !  The 
guards  are  rushing  from  the  other  side  to 
bar  the  entrance!  ...  I  will  give  orders  to 
shut  out  the  people  and  close  the  gates,  if 
there  be  yet  time  .  .  . 

MARCO 

No,  no!  Let  joy  blossom  here  as  it  blos- 
soms in  the  people's  hearts !  It  is  their  vast 
love  that  speaks — let  it  do  what  it  will !  They 
have  suffered  enough!  .  .  .  Now  that  salva- 
tion has  come  let  no  barrier  hold  them  back! 
Ah,  my  poor  brave  people,  I,  too,  am  drunk 
with  joy;  I  raise  my  voice  with  yours!  .  .  . 
Ah,  Vanna,  my  Vanna !  Is  it  you  whom  I 
see  on  the  steps?  .  .  .  \He  rushes  forward 
to  meet  VANNA,  but  BORSO  and  TORELLO 
hold  him  back.]  Come,  Vanna,  come!  They 
are  keeping  me  back !  They  are  alarmed 
at  this  mighty  joy!  Come,  Vanna,  come! 
More  beautiful  than  Judith,  and  purer  than 
Lucrece!  .  .  .  Come!  .  .  .  Here,  in  the 
midst  of  the  flowers !  [He  runs  to  the  marble 
252 


Monna  Vanna 

•vases  and  seizes  handfuls  of  flowers  that  he 
hurls  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs.]  I,  too,  have 
flowers  with  which  to  greet  the  light !  I,  too, 
have  lilies,  laurels,  and  roses  with  which  to 
crown  glory ! 

[The  clamour  becomes  more  and  more 
delirious.  VANNA,  accompanied  by 
PRINZIVALLE,  appears  on  the  top  of 
the  steps  and  throws  herself  into 
MARCO'S  arms.  The  crowd  invade 
the  palace  stairs  and  the  terrace* 
but,  nevertheless,  remain  at  a  cer- 
tain distance  from  the  group 
formed  by  VANNA,  PRINZIVALLE, 
MARCO,  BORSO,  and  TORELLO.] 

VANNA 

My  father,  I  am  happy    .  .  . 

MARCO 

[Holding  her  close  to  him.~\  And  I,  too, 
my  child,  since  I  behold  you  again !  .  .  .  Let 
me  look  at  you  through  my  tears  ...  I  see 
you  more  radiant  than  had  you  descended 
from  the  depths  of  the  sky,  that  now  acclaims 
your  return!  .  .  .  The  horrible  foe  has  not 

253 


Monna  Vanna 

been  able  to  rob  your  eyes  of  their  light, 
nor  a  single  smile  from  your  lips!  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Father,  I  will  tell  you  .  .  .  But  where  is 
Guido?  .  .  .  He  must  be  the  first  to  hear — 
to  be  comforted,  for  how  can  he  know? 

MARCO 

Vanna,  Vanna,  he  is  there  .  .  .  Come 
.  .  .  Me  he  repels,  and  justly,  perhaps,  but 
there  is  forgiveness  for  you,  for  your  glo- 
rious fault ;  and  I  yearn  to  see  you  sink  into 
his  arms,  that  my  last  glance  may  fall  upon 
your  love  ,  .  . 

[GUIDO  steps  forward  to  VANNA.  She 
is  about  to  speak — to  throw  herself 
into  his  arms — but  GUIDO,  with  a 
brusque  movement,  stops  and  repels 
her,  and  addresses  himself  to  those 
round  about  him.~\ 

GUIDO 

[In  a  strident  and  imperious  voice.]  Go, 
all!  .  .  . 

254 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

No,  no!  They  must  wait!  .  .  .  Guido,  I 
must  tell  you;  I  must  tell  them  all  ... 
Guido,  listen! 

GUIDO 

[Stopping  her  and  pushing  her  back,  rais- 
ing his  voice  in  growing  anger.  ]  Do  not 
come  near  me,  do  not  touch  me!  [He  ad- 
vances towards  the  crowd,  which  has  invaded 
the  hall,  but  now  recoils  before  him]  Have 
you  not  heard  me?  I  bade  you  go!  Leave 
us !  You  are  the  masters  in  your  own  homes, 
but  here  I  rule !  Borso,  Torello,  summon  the 
guard !  Ah !  I  see  what  it  means  !  You  have 
had  your  food,  and  now  you  would  feast  your 
eyes  on  this  merry  spectacle!  .  .  .  No,  no, 
you  have  meat  and  wine ;  I  have  paid  for  you 
all;  is  that  not  enough?  Go,  I  tell  you! 
[Silent  movement  in  the  crowd,  which  slowly 
disperses.]  Let  none  venture  to  linger! 
[He  seizes  his  father  violently  by  the  arm.] 
You,  too !  You,  above  all !  You  more  than 
the  others,  since  the  fault  is  yours !  You 
shall  not  see  my  tears !  I  desire  to  be  alone. 
Lonelier  than  the  tomb,  to  know  what  I  have 
to  know !  [Seeing  PKIXZIVALLE,  who  has  not 
255 


Monna  Vanna 

stirred."]  And  you?  .  .  .  Who  are  you  who 
stand  there  like  a  veiled  statue?  .  .  .  Are 
you  death,  or  shame?  Have  you  not  under- 
stood that  I  told  you  to  go?  [He  snatches 
a  halberd  from  a  guard.]  Must  I  drive  you 
hence  with  this  halberd?  .  .  .  You  touch 
your  sword?  ...  I,  too,  have  a  sword,  but 
have  other  uses  for  it  ...  Henceforth  it 
serves  against  one  man,  and  one  man  alone. 
.  .  .  What  veils  are  those  that  hide  your 
head?  ...  I  am  in  no  mood  for  a  masquer- 
ade .  .  .  You  make  no  answer  ...  I  ask 

who  you  are?  .  .  .  Wait 

[He  approaches  and  is  about  to  tear 
away  the  bandages.  VANNA  rushes 
between  and  stops  him.'] 

VANNA 

Do  not  touch  him!  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

[In   amazement.']     Vanna,   what,   Vanna? 
Whence  comes  this  sudden  strength? 

VANNA 

It  is  he  who  saved  me    ... 
256 


Monna  Vanna 

GUIDO 

Hah!  He  saved  you  .  .  .  When  it  was 
too  late  ...  A  noble  action,  truly  ...  It 
would  have  been  better  .  .  . 

VANNA 

[Feverishly.]  But  let  me  tell  you,  Guido, 
I  implore  you !  One  word,  but  one  word ! 
.  .  .  He  saved  me,  he  spared  me,  respected 
me!  .  .  .  He  comes  here  with  me,  under  my 
protection  ...  I  have  given  my  word,  your 
word,  ours !  .  .  .  You  are  angry  now,  but 
listen  to  me ;  only  listen !  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

Who  is  this  man? 

VANNA 

Prinzivalle    .  .  . 

GUIDO 

Who?  ....  What?  .  .  .  He,  that  man? 
That  man  Prinzivalle ! 

VANNA 

Yes,  yes!     He  is  your  guest!     He  puts 

257 


Monna  Vanna 

himself  into  your  hands!     It  is  he  who  has 
saved  me,  Guido    .  .  . 

GUIDO 

[After  a  moment's  stupor,  with  growing 
exultation  and  vehemence  that  render  it  im- 
possible for  VANNA  to  interrupt  him.]  Ah, 
this,  my  Vanna!  .  .  .  Ah,  this  falls  on  my 
soul  like  dew  from  the  innermost  heaven! 
.  .  .  Ah,  Vanna,  my  Vanna !  .  .  .  Yes,  you 
are  right;  since  it  had  to  be  done,  that  was 
the  way  to  do  it!  Ah,  I  understand  your 
stratagem  now!  Yes,  I  see  it  all!  ...  But 
I  did  not  know,  I  could  not  imagine!  .  .  . 
There  are  women  who  would  have  killed  him, 
as  Judith  killed  Holophernes !  .  .  .  But  his 
crime  is  greater  than  that  of  Holophernes, 
and  calls  for  a  greater  vengeance!  .  .  . 
Therefore  you  brought  him  here;  therefore 
you  have  led  him  into  the  midst  of  his  victims, 
who  now  shall  become  his  executioners !  .  .  . 
Ah,  the  magnificent  triumph!  .  .  .  He  fol- 
lowed you  meekly,  tenderly ;  and  did  not  sus- 
pect that  the  kisses  you  gave  him  were  kisses 
of  hatred !  .  .  .  Here  he  is,  caught  in  a  trap ! 
.  .  .  Yes,  you  were  right!  To  have  killed 
258 


Monna  Vanna 

him  down  there,  alone  in  his  tent,  after  his 
horrible  crime — that  would  not  have  sufficed! 
...  A  doubt  would  have  remained,  we  should 
not  have  seen  him  .  .  .  All  had  known  of  the 
abominable  compact ;  it  was  needful,  there- 
fore, that  all  should  know  the  price  to  be 
paid  for  such  treachery !  .  .  .  But  how  did 
you  do  it?  ...  It  is  the  greatest  triumph 
that  ever  a  woman  .  .  .  Ah,  you  shall  tell 
them!  [He  rushes  to  the  terrace  and  shouts 
at  the  top  of  his  voice.]  Prinzivalle!  Prin- 
zivalle !  The  enemy  is  here !  We  hold  him ! 

VANNA 

[Clinging  to  him  and  trying  to  keep  him 
back.}  No,  no!  Listen!  Listen,  Guido,  I 
implore  you !  Guido,  Guido,  you  are  wrong ! 

GUIDO 

[Shaking  himself  free,  and  shouting  still 
louder.}  Let  me  go!  You  shall  see!  They 
must  all  of  them  know,  all!  [Shouting  to 
the  crowd.}  Come  back,  all  of  you !  You 
may,  you  must !  .  .  .  And  you,  too,  my 
father!  You  who  are  crouching  there  behind 
the  pillars,  as  though  expecting  a  god  to 

259 


Monna  Vanna 

spring  forth  to  repair  the  wrong  you  caused, 
and  restore  me  my  happiness !  Come  back ! 
This  is  joy,  joy!  There  has  been  a  great 
miracle !  I  want  the  very  stones  to  hear  what 
has  happened!  I  need  skulk  in  corners  no 
longer — that  is  all  over — I  shall  go  hence 
purer  than  the  purest,  richer  than  those  who 
have  lost  nothing !  Ah,  now  you  can  acclaim 
my  Vanna !  I  acclaim  her  with  you,  and 
louder  than  you  all ! 

[The  people  hasten  on  to  the  terrace, 
lie  drags  them  into  the  hall.~\ 

GUIDO 

This  time  you  shall  see  a  spectacle !  There 
is  a  justice,  after  all!  ...  Ah,  I  knew  it 
well,  but  could  not  believe  that  it  could  act  so 
promptly !  .  .  .  I  thought  years  and  years 
must  pass ;  that  I  should  have  to  spend  my 
life  seeking  my  foe,  in  towns,  in  forests,  in 
mountains !  And,  see,  suddenly  he  springs  up 
before  me  here,  in  this  very  room,  on  these 
steps,  in  front  of  us !  An  overpowering 
miracle!  .  .  .  But  we  shall  hear  ...  It  is 
Vanna  has  done  this !  .  .  .  And  there  shall  be 
260 


Monna  Vanna 

justice!     [To  MARCO,  whom  he  seizes  by  the 
arm.~\     You  see  that  man?  .  .  . 

MARCO 
Yes;  who  is  he? 


GUIDO 

You  have  seen  him  before  .  .  .  You  have 
Doken  to  him  .  .  .  You  were  his  complais- 
it  messenger  .  .  . 

[PRINZIVALLE     turns     his     face     to 
MARCO,  who  recognises  him.~\ 


MARCO 
Prinzivalle!          [Movement  in  the  crowd.] 

GUIDO 

Yes,  yes,  it  is  he;  there  is  not  the  least 
doubt  .  .  .  Come  nearer.  Look  at  him, 
touch  him !  He  may  have  some  new  message 
to  send,  perhaps  .  .  .  Ah,  he  is  no  longer 
the  magnificent  Prinzivalle !  But  for  him 
there  shall  oe  no  pity  .  .  .  He  took,  by  a 
vile  and  monstrous  artifice,  the  one  thing  in 
the  world  that  I  could  not  give ;  and  now  he 
he  has  come  to  me.  He  has  been  brought 
261 


Monna  Vanna 

hither  by  justice,  by  a  stratagem  more  mar- 
vellous than  justice,  to  ask  of  me  the  one 
recompense  I  can  afford  .  .  .  Am  I  not  right 
to  call  it  a  miracle?  Come  nearer,  nearer! 
Have  no  fear;  he  cannot  escape!  And  yet, 
see  that  the  doors  are  shut ;  we  must  not  allow 
another  miracle  to  snatch  him  from  us  ... 
We  shall  not  deal  with  him  at  once  .  .  . 
There  shall  be  prolonged  pleasures  in  store 
for  him  .  .  .  Ah,  you,  my  brothers,  to  whom 
he  caused  so  much  suffering;  you  whom  he 
sought  to  massacre,  whose  wives  and  children 
he  sold  into  slavery,  look  at  him  now!  Yes, 
this  is  he;  and  he  is  mine,  he  is  yours,  he  is 
ours,  I  tell  you !  .  .  .  He  has  made  you 
suffer,  but  what  has  your  suffering  been  com- 
pared with  mine?  .  .  .  He  shall  be  yours, 
very  soon  .  .  .  My  Vanna  has  led  him  to  us, 
that  our  vengeance  may  blot  out  our  shame! 
.  .  .  [Addressing  the  crowd.~\  Stand  wit- 
ness, all  of  you !  There  must  not  be  one 
shadow  of  doubt  .  .  .  Have  you  thoroughly 
realised  what  a  miracle  of  heroism  this  is? 
.  .  .  That  man  took  Vanna  from  me  .  .  . 
I  was  helpless,  I  could  do  nothing:  you  sold 
her  ...  I  have  curses  for  none  .  .  .  The 
262 


Monna  Vanna 

past  is  past  .  .  .  You  had  the  right  to  pre- 
fer your  life  to  my  poor  happiness  .  .  .  But 
Vanna,  my  Vanna,  has  known  how  to  build 
love  anew  with  the  thing  that  had  killed  it 
.  .  .  You  destroyed ;  she  has  recreated  .  .  . 
Vanna  has  done  it!  ...  She  is  greater  than 
Lucrece  or  Judith,  Lucrece  who  killed  herself, 
and  Judith  who  slew  Holophernes !  Ah,  that, 
truly,  would  have  been  too  mild,  too  simple, 
too  silent!  .  .  .  Vanna  does  not  slay  in  a 
closed  tent :  she  brings  the  victim  to  us,  alive, 
and  offers  him  to  us  all !  .  .  .  And  how  has 
she  done  this?  .  .  .  Listen,  she  will  tell !  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Yes,  I  will  tell  you;  but  it  ia  all  quite 
different  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

[Stopping  her  and  throwing  his  arms  round 
her.]  Let  me  kiss  you  first,  before  them 
all  ... 

VANNA 

[Thrusting  him  violently  bacl:.~\     No,  no! 
Not   yet !  .   .  .  No,   no,  never  again  if  you 
will  not  hear  me  !    Listen,  Guido  !    I  speak  of 
263 


Monna  Vanna 

an  honour  more  real,  of  a  happiness  greater 
than  those  that  are  blinding  you !  Ah,  I  am 
glad  they  have  all  returned !  They  will  hear 
me,  perhaps,  before  you  will:  they  will  un- 
derstand before  you  understand!  Listen, 
Guido!  .  .  .  You  shall  not  touch  me  until 
you  know  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

[Interrupting  her,  and  again  trying  to  em- 
brace her.]  Yes,  yes,  I  know — but  first  of 
all  I  will  .  .  . 

t 

VANNA 

Listen,  I  tell  you !  In  all  my  life  I  have 
never  lied,  but  to-day  I  am  telling  the  pro- 
foundest  truth,  the  truth  one  speaks  only 
once,  that  brings  life  or  death  in  its  train 
.  .  .  Listen ;  and  look  at  me  well ;  look  at  me 
as  though  you  had  never  seen  me  before  this 
hour,  which  is  the  first,  the  only  one  when  you 
truly  can  love  me  as  I  wish  to  be  loved  .  .  . 
I  speak  to  you  now  in  the  name  of  the  life 
we  have  lived  together;  in  the  name  of  all 
that  I  am,  of  all  that  you  are  to  me!  .  .  . 
Be  capable  of  believing  what,  perhaps,  can 
264 


Monna  Vanna 

be  scarcely  believed  ...  I  was  in  this  man's 
power  ...  I  had  been  handed  over  to  him: 
he  did  not  come  near  me,  he  did  not  touch  me 
...  I  come  from  his  tent  as  from  the  home 
of  a  brother  .  .  . 

GUIDO 
Why? 

VANNA 

Because  he  loves  me    ... 

GUID0 

Ah!  so  that  was  what  you  had  to  say  to 
us!  That  was  the  miracle?  .  .  .  Yes,  yes, 
at  your  very  first  words  I  saw  there  was 
something  strange  ...  It  was  only  a  flash, 
and  I  paid  no  heed  ...  I  thought  that  the 
trouble,  the  horror  had  .  .  .  But  I  see  now 
that  we  must  look  into  it  ...  So  he  did  not 
come  near  you,  you  say;  he  did  not  touch 
you?  .  .  . 

VANNA 

No. 

GUIDO! 
Not  even  kiss  you? 

265 


Monna  Vanna 

VANNA 

I  gave  him  one  kiss  on  the  brow,  which  he 
returned. 

GUIDO 

And  you  can  tell  this  to  me!  ...  Vanna, 
Vanna,  has  this  fearful  night  driven  you 
mad? 

VANNA 

I  tell  you  the  truth. 

GUIDO 

The  truth!  Great  God!  it  is  that,  and 
that  alone,  that  I  seek !  But  the  truth  must 
be  human  .  .  .  What!  a  man  who  betrays 
his  country,  ruins  his  life,  sets  all  the  world 
against  him  for  ever — and  does  all  this  that 
you  should  go  to  his  tent  alone — this  man  de- 
mands but  a  kiss  on  the  brow ;  and  comes  to 
us  here  with  you  to  make  us  believe  it?  ... 
No,  no;  we  must  be  just,  and  not  gibe  too 
much  at  misfortune  ...  If  this  was  all  that 
he  asked,  why  inflict  so  much  misery  upon 
our  whole  people?  And  flood  me  with  such 
despair?  .  .  .  This  night  has  lasted  ten 
years :  I  have  scarcely  survived  it !  .  .  .  Ah, 
had  this  been  all  he  sought  he  could  have 
266 


Monna  Vanna 

saved  us  without  this  torture!  .  .  .  We 
should  have  welcomed  him  like  a  god,  like  a 
deliverer!  You  shake  your  head  .  .  .  See, 
the  people  shall  judge,  the  people  shall  an- 
swer. [Addressing  the  crowd.]  Have  you 
heard?  I  know  not  why  she  has  said  these 
things ;  but  what  she  has  said  is  said,  and  you 
shall  be  judges  .  .  .  You  will  believe  her, 
perhaps,  since  she  has  saved  you  ...  If 
you  believe  her,  speak  .  .  .  Let  those  who 
believe  her  step  out  from  the  crowd !  .  .  .  Let 
them  come  to  us  here,  and  give  the  lie  to  poor 
human  reason !  .  .  .  Let  them  come,  all  those 
who  believe !  .  .  .  I  am  anxious  to  look  at 
them,  and  see  what  sort  of  men  they 
are!  .  .  . 

[MARCO  alone  stands  forth  from  the 
crowd.  One  hears  only  faint,  dim, 
and  indistinct  murmurs.} 

MARCO 
[Rushing  forward.}     I  believe  her! 

GTJIDO 

You!     You     are     their     accomplice    .  .  . 
But  the  others,  the  others,  where  are  the  rest 
267 


Monna  Vanna 

who  believe?  ...  [To  VANNA.]  Have  you  • 
heard?  The  people  you  saved  shrink  from 
the  laughter  that  would  burst  from  every 
corner  of  the  hall  .  .  .  The  few  who  mur- 
mured have  not  dared  to  show  themselves, 
and  I 

VANNA 

They  have  no  cause  to  believe  me ;  but  you, 
you  who  loved  me! 

GUIDO 

Ah,  I  who  loved  you  should  therefore  be- 
come your  dupe!  No,  no!  Now  listen  to 
me !  I  speak  to  you  calmly,  I  have  ceased  to 
be  angry  ...  I  have  gone  through  too 
much,  I  begin  suddenly  to  feel  old  .  .  .  No, 
I  am  not  angry  .  .  .  There  is  no  anger  left 
in  me — something  else  will  take  its  place,  I 
suppose — old  age,  madness,  I  know  not  yet 
.  .  .  At  present  I  look,  I  search,  I  grope  in 
myself,  to  discover  the  happiness  that  once 
was  mine  ...  I  have  one  hope,  one  hope 
alone;  a  hope  so  frail  that  I  scarcely  can 
grasp  it  ...  A  word  would  destroy  it ;  and 
yet,  in  my  despair,  I  must  make  the  attempt 
.  .  .  Vanna,  I  was  wrong  to  call  back  the 
crowd  before  knowing  ...  I  should  have 
268 


Monna  Vanna 

remembered  how  galling  it  must  be  to  you  to 
proclaim  to  them  all  that  that  monster  had 
caused  you  to  suffer  .  .  .  Yes,  I  should 
have  waited  until  we  were  alone;  then  you 
would  have  confessed  the  truth,  the  hor- 
rible truth.  But  I  know  it,  alas !  and  the 
others  all  know.  Of  what  avail  to  hide  it, 
Vanna?  ...  It  is  too  late  .  .  .  There  is 
no  help  for  it  now ;  and  you,  too,  must  under- 
stand ...  In  moments  like  these  reason  is 
incapable  of 

VANNA 

Look  at  me,  Guido;  all  my  loyalty,  all  my 
strength  and  my  truth  are  in  my  eyes  now  as 
I  speak!  .  .  .  The  truth,  the  truth,  believe 
it!  ...  He  did  not  touch  me. 

GUIDO 

Good !  It  is  good.  It  is  very  good !  Now 
I  know  all,  and  all  is  gone  from  me  .  .  . 
Yes,  it  is  the  truth ;  or  rather,  it  is  love.  Ah, 
I  understand ;  you  seek  to  save  him.  I  did 
not  realise  that  the  woman  I  loved  could 
change  so  quickly.  But  not  that  way  can 
he  be  saved!  [Pie  raises  his  'voice.']  Hear 
269 


Monna  Vanna 

me,  all  of  you !  I  will  for  the  last  time  swear 
an  oath  .  .  .  To  restrain  myself  now  de- 
mands superhuman  effort ;  my  hold  on  myself 
is  weakening.  I  make  one  final  effort,  there 
is  one  moment  yet  before  I  break  down  .  .  . 
That  moment  I  will  not  lose  .  .  .  Can  you 
hear  me,  you  all;  or  is  my  voice  grown  too 
weak?  Come  nearer,  nearer!  .  .  .  You  see 
this  woman,  that  man ;  they  love  each  other 
.  .  .  Well.  Now  hear  me.  I  am  weighing 
all  my  words  as  scrupulously  as  one  weighs 
the  medicine  given  to  the  dying  .  .  .  These 
two  shall  go  from  me  here,  with  my  consent, 
shall  go  freely,  unmolested,  untouched,  un- 
harmed. They  shall  take  with  them  what- 
ever they  choose.  You  shall  open  your  ranks 
to  afford  them  passage.  You  shall  strew 
their  path  with  flowers,  if  it  so  please  you. 
They  shall  go  wheresoever  their  love  may 
guide  their  footsteps ;  and  all  I  ask  in.  ex- 
change is  that  this  woman  shall  first  of  all 
tell  me  the  truth,  the  only  possible  truth 
.  .  .  That  is  the  one  thing  left  to  me  now 
that  I  can  still  love  in  her  ...  I  demand 
the  truth  that  she  owes  me,  in  exchange  for 
what  I  will  give  her  .  .  .  You  understand, 
270 


Monna  Vanna 

Vanna?  you  have  only  one  word  to  say 
All  here  are  witness 


VANNA 

I  have  told  you  the  truth  .  .  .  He  did 
not  touch  me  ... 

GUIDO 

It  is  well.  You  have  spoken — you  have 
condemned  him.  Now  there  is  nothing  more 
to  be  done.  [He  calls  the  guards  and 
points  to  PRINZIVALLE.]  That  man  belongs 
to  me ;  take  him  and  bind  him ;  thrust  him 
into  the  lowest  dungeon  beneath  this  hall.  I 
shall  go  with  you.  [To  VANNA.]  You  will 
never  see  him  again ;  but  on  my  return  I 
shall  report  to  you  his  last  words  .  .  . 

VANNA 

[Throwing  herself  in  the  midst  of  the 
guards,  who  are  seizing  PRINZIVALLE  and 
leading  him  away.~\  No,  no!  I  have  lied,  I 
have  lied.  [To  GUIDO.]  Yes,  what  you  say 
is  true!  [Pushing  the  guards  away.']  Go, 
you  must  not  take  what  is  mine!  For  he  is 
mine,  he  belongs  to  me,  not  to  you !  To  me 
271 


Monna  Vanna 

alone!     It  is  for  me  to  punish — the  coward 
who  when  I  was  helpless,  defenceless  .  .  . 

PRINZIVALLE 

[Trying  to  drown  her  voice. ~\  She  lies ! 
She  lies !  She  lies  to  save  me,  but  torture  me 
as  you  will 

VANNA 

Be  silent!  [Turn'mg  to  the  crowd.]  He 
is  afraid!  [Approaching  PRINZIVALLE,  as 
though  enforcing  silence  upon  PRINZIVALLE.] 
Give  me  chains,  and  irons !  Now  that  I  dare 
speak  out  my  hatred,  it  is  I  who  shall  bind 
him,  I  who  brought  him  here.  [Whispering 
to  PRINZIVALLE  as  she  ties  his  hands.]  Be 
silent!  He  saves  us,  be  silent!  He  has 
joined  us.  I  belong  to  you,  I  love  you!  I 
love  you,  my  Gianello!  I  put  these  chains 
on  you,  but  I  shall  guard  you,  and  free  you ! 
We  two  shall  fly  together!  [Shouting  as 
though  enforcing  silence  upon  PRIXZIVALLE.] 
Be  silent!  [Addressing  the  crowd.]  He 
pleads  for  mercy!  [ Uncovering  his  face.] 
Look  at  his  face;  it  was  my  dagger,  my 
dagger  inflicted  that  wound!  Look  at  him! 
272 


Monna  Vanna 

He,  the  coward,  the  monster!  [Seeing  that 
the  guards  make  a  movement  as  though  to  re- 
move PRINZIVALLE.]  No,  no,  leave  him  to 
me !  He  is  my  victim,  my  prey !  It  is  I 
who  have  bought  him !  He  belongs  to  me ! 

GUIDO 

Why  did  he  come,  and  why  did  you  lie 
to  me? 

VANNA 

[Hesitating  and  picking  her  words.'] 
Why  I  lied  ...  I  scarcely  know,  I  did  not 
want  to  say  .  .  .  Ah,  well,  I  must  tell  you 
now  .  .  .  There  are  times  when  one  scarcely 
knows  what  one  does,  and  is  groping  in  the 
dark  .  .  .  Yes,  you  shall  know,  you  shall 
know,  for  now  I  have  torn  away  the  veil  .  .  . 
It  was  the  thought  of  your  love,  of  your 
despair,  that  alarmed  me  ...  But  I  will 
tell  you.  [In  a  calmer  voice  and  with  more 
assurance.'}  No,  no,  I  had  not  the  idea  you 
speak  of  ...  I  did  not  bring  him  here  that 
we  two,  you  and  I,  should  be  publicly  avenged 
in  the  midst  of  a  crowd;  my  idea,  perhaps, 
was  less  noble,  but  my  love  for  you  prompted 
me  ...  I  yearned  to  inflict  a  cruel  death 

273 


Monna  Vanna 

upon  him,  but  was  anxious  also  that  the 
horrible  memory  of  this  horrible  night  should 
not  weigh  upon  you  to  the  end  of  your  days 
...  It  was  my  intention  to  revenge  myself 
in  the  dark  .  .  .  To  inflict  a  slow,  lingering 
death  upon  him  .  .  .  Do  you  see?  .  .  .  Kill 
him  slowly,  little  by  little,  till  his  blood,  fall- 
ing drop  by  drop,  should  have  wiped  out  his 
crime  .  .  .  You  would  never  have  known  the 
awful  truth,  and  there  would  have  been  no 
spectre  between  us  ...  I  feared,  I  confess, 
that  the  memory  of  this  would  lessen  your 
love  for  me  ...  I  was  foolish,  I  know  .  .  . 
It  was  mad  to  expect  you  to  believe  .  .  . 
But  now  you  shall  learn  all  ...  [Address- 
ing the  crowd.}  Hear  me,  and  you  shall 
judge  me!  What  I  said  before  I  said  for 
Guide's  sake,  for  the  sake  of  our  love  .  .  . 
Now  I  shall  tell  you  all  ...  I  tried  to  kill 
that  man ;  I  wounded  him,  as  you  see  .  .  . 
But  he  disarmed  me  .  .  .  Then  I  thought 
of  a  deeper  revenge,  and  I  smiled  on  him ;  and 
he,  the  fool,  had  faith  in  my  smile  .  .  .  And 
now  he  is  here  in  his  tomb,  that  I  myself  shall 
seal  down  ...  I  kissed  him,  and  he  believed 
in  my  kiss;  and  he  followed  me,  like  a  lamb 
274 


Monna  Vanna 

And  I  hold  him  now  in  my  hands,  and  my 
hands  shall  close  down  on  him!   . 


GUIDO 
[Approaching.]     Vanna!  .  .  . 

VANNA 

Look  at  me  well !  ...  So  mad  is  this  man, 
he  believed  me  at  once  when  I  said  "  Prin- 
zivalle,  I  love  you !  "  .  .  .  Ah,  he  would  have 
followed  me  down  to  the  heart  of  hell!  .  .  . 
And  now  he  is  my  man  ;  he  is  mine,  before 
God  and  the  world!  I  have  won,  I  have 
bought  him!  .  .  .  [She  totters  and  supports 
herself  aga'mst  the  column.]  Take  care,  I 
fall.  There  is  too  much  joy  now,  in  the 
thought  of  the  vengeance  to  come!  [To 
MARCO.]  Father,  I  entrust  him  to  your 
care,  till  I  am  stronger  .  .  .  You  shall  take 
charge  of  him,  find  a  prison  for  him,  a  pro- 
found dungeon  into  which  no  one  shall  enter 
.  .  .  And  give  me  the  key ;  I  must  have  the 
key ;  I  want  it  at  once  No  one  shall  touch 
him,  go  near  him ;  he  belongs  to  me,  to  me ; 
he  is  mine;  I  alone  shall  punish  .  .  .  Guido, 
he  belongs  to  me!  [Stepping  towards 

275 


Monna  Vanna 

MAIICO.]  Father,  he  is  mine;  you  shall  an- 
swer for  him.  [She  looks  fixedly  at  him.~\ 
You  understand,  you  are  his  guardian.  You 
are  responsible  for  him ;  not  a  hand  shall  ap- 
proach him,  and  when  I  go  to  him  he  shall  be 
as  he  is,  now  that  I  give  him  to  you.  [PRIN- 
ZIVALLE  is  taken  away.]  Fare  you  well,  my 
Prinzivalle !  Ah,  we  shall  meet  again ! 

[While  GUIDO  is  in  the  midst  of 
the  soldiers,  who  brutally  remove 
PRINZIVALLE,  VANNA  screams,  tot- 
ters, and  falls  into  the  arms  of 
MARCO,  who  rushes  forward  to  sup- 
port her.] 

MARCO 

[Rapidly,  in  a  low  voice,  bending  over 
VANNA  a#  she  lies  in  his  arms."]  Yes,  Vanna, 
I  understand ;  I  understand  your  falsehood. 
You  have  achieved  the  impossible  ...  It  is 
just  and  very  unjust,  like  all  the  things  that 
one  does  .  .  .  and  still  it  is  life  that  is  right 
.  .  .  Collect  yourself,  Vanna ;  you  will  have 
to  lie  again,  since  he  refuses  to  believe  .  .  . 
[Calling  GUIDO.]  Guido,  she  asks  for  you 
.  .  .  Guido,  she  is  coming  to  herself  .  .  . 
276 


Monna  Vanna 

GUIDO 

[Rushing  up  and  talcing  her  in  his  arms.'] 
My  Vanna !  See,  she  smiles !  .  .  .  Vanna, 
tell  me!  ...  I  never  doubted  .  .  .  Now  it 
is  over,  and  all  will  be  forgotten — wiped  away 
in  our  good  revenge  ...  It  was  all  a  bad 
dream  .  .  . 

VANNA 

[Opening  her  eyes,  and  speaking  m  a 
feeble  voice. ]  Where  is  he?  Yes,  yes,  I 
know,  I  remember  .  .  .  Give  me  the  key 
.  .  .  The  key  of  his  prison ;  none  but  myself 
must  .  .  . 

GUIDO 

The  moment  the  guards  come  back  they 
shall  bring  the  key  to  you,  and  all  shall  be  as 
you  wish  .  .  . 

VANNA 

I  want  it  for  myself  alone.  So  that  I  may 
be  quite  sure,  and  that  no  one  else  .  .  .  Yes, 
it  has  been  a  bad  dream  .  .  .  but  the  beauti- 
ful one  will  begin.  The  beautiful  one  will 
begin  .  .  . 

CURTAIN 

277 


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